Although Tampa Bay Buccaneers are not shocked that it happened, it was still a massive blow to hear that nose tackle Vita Vea has requested a trade after general manager Jason Licht and the Bucs organization have barely tried to sign the team's best defensive player, which all due respect to safety Antoine Winfield Jr., to a new contract.
Everyone was fixated on the contract negotiations with franchise quarterback Baker Mayfield, for good reason obviously, but now Vea has taken center stage as the best player on the trade market. And everyone is wondering which playoff contender could get a nose tackle who can eat up two blockers and still get the sack to boost their Super Bowl hopes.
ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler named his five potential team fits for Vea in a trade with the Buccaneers, and they were somewhat surprising answers. While the New England Patriots, who reached the Super Bowl, could make a lot of sense for Vea in order to get over the hump with the second coming of Vince Wilfork. Tom Brady going after his former teammate for the Las Vegas Raiders would be more bizarre for Vea than anything else since they have no Super Bowl shot, while the divison rival Los Angeles Chargers could be intriguing.
Carolina Panthers landing Vita Vea is the worst case for the Bucs
The final two, though, will really give the Buccaneers faithful pause. After sniping Mike Evans from the Buccaneers, the San Francisco 49ers trading for Vita Vea would be an insult to injury for the fans. But the worst of them all would be the Carolina Panthers, who beat out the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the NFC South title last season, vastly upgrading their defensive line and their entire defense with a bitter poach of Vea.
Fowler's selections are mostly worrisome for the Buccaneers, and the most tolerable of the landing spots, the Las Vegas Raiders, also happens to be the most unrealistic. The Panthers, though, would be the worst of the worst, and if they are on the table, the prevailing sentiment from the Buccaneers faithful would be nothing short of anywhere else but there.
If the Buccaneers have to trade Vea, which is still not a full guarantee by the way, then going for anyone else but the Carolina Panthers, even the San Francsico 49ers if they have to, would be the name of the game. Now, this is just one man's list, but Jeremy Fowler is a plugged in insider, and now the Bucs fans have Carolina to worry about.
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