The Tampa Bay Buccaneers feel like they are in a state of limbo with their high-profile impending free agents, specifically team legends Mike Evans and Lavonte David, but Jason Licht has made it clear at the NFL Scouting Combine this year that the same ambiguity does not exist with Vita Vea.
Last season, the Buccaneers defense held back a star-studded offense, and though the offense itself did show its flaws down the stretch of the regular season, especially when injuries struck, the reality is that offense bent and then broke under the weight of pressure caused by the defense.
The Bucs offense simply had no margin for error because the defense was so poor, and no area of weakness stood out more under Todd Bowles in the 2025 season than his front seven, which had long been an issue, specifically an anemic pass rush.
Jason Licht won't let the Buccaneers lose Vita Vea
Defensive tackle Vita Vea has been a staple of the team nearly as much as David, and Licht recently stated at the Combine that the Buccaneers have no intention of watching the big man ride off into the sunset, regardless of what happens with David.
Licht said, via Joe Bucs Fan, “We’re not ready to say goodbye to Vita.”
Vea may be 31 years old, but he is still the best player on the Buccaneers defensive line and front seven overall - and it really isn't even close. When factoring in the importance of interior pressure, Vea, despite being an elite run stuffer, was also the Bucs most effective overall pass rusher in the dismal 2025 season for the defense.
Now, Vea technically is not on an expiring contract since he is actually on an option for the 2027 season, but because it can be voided, the Bucs need to think about a more robust short-term addition to his contract to ensure their most important defensive player sticks around.
Losing Vea and David together in the same offseason would be downright devastating, particularly since the Bucs already have needs to fill at outside linebacker, inside linebacker, and all over the defensive line in terms of both depth and quality. They can't afford to be adding more holes on top of holes.
So for Buccaneers fans, it's great to hear straight from Licht at the press conference that the team has no intention of letting Vea go that easily. And 31 isn't too old at all; Vea is still playing at a high level on a terrible unit.