The Tampa Bay Buccaneers remain in the middle of a contract dispute with defensive tackle Vita Vea.
Despite having one year left on his current deal, Vea is seeking a new contract. If the Bucs are unwilling to give him that, he wants to be traded out of Tampa Bay.
With less than a month until the regular season, time is running out for the two sides to reach a solution and get the Bucs’ star defender back on the field. Meanwhile, three teams have reportedly called the Buccaneers about a trade for Vea.
The Bucs insist they won’t trade Vea, and they remain highly unlikely to move the veteran defensive tackle, but if they did, which interested team would make the most sense as a trade partner?
Tampa Bay Buccaneers have received Vita Vea trade calls from Bills, Bears, 49ers
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports that the Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, and San Francisco 49ers have inquired about a Vita Vea trade.
From @NFLGameDay Kickoff: Teams have checked on Vita Vea’s availability (the #Bills, #Bears and #49ers among them) but the #Buccaneers remain steadfast they’re not trading him and have kept the lines of communication open on a potential new deal. pic.twitter.com/V4tdIQt2Xy
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 14, 2026
Of those three teams, where would the Buccaneers be best served sending Vea if they can’t reach a solution?
3. San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers are an NFC contender, and the Bucs view themselves as a championship-caliber team as well.
It would make little sense to send such a dominant defender to an NFC foe that could ultimately haunt the Buccaneers in a potential playoff matchup.
For the cherry on top, Tampa Bay already lost wide receiver Mike Evans to the 49ers this offseason, and seeing them land Vea as well would add insult to injury. Haven’t the 49ers taken enough from us?
2. Chicago Bears
Like the 49ers, the Bears are an NFC playoff contender that the Bucs would be wise to avoid shipping Vea off to.
Tampa Bay travels to Chicago in Week 9 for Sunday Night Football — and what a primetime storyline that would be if Vea were suiting up against the Buccaneers.
It could be the type of move that gets the Bears over the hump after they won the NFC North at 11-6 and fell just short of an NFC Championship Game appearance last season. The Bucs can’t afford to make one of their competitors even stronger.
1. Buffalo Bills
If Vea ultimately refuses to return without a new deal, and the Bucs stand firm in their stance against paying him, a trade could be the last resort.
If that nightmare scenario comes to fruition and the Bucs have no choice but to trade Vea, the Bills are the best option out of the three teams that have called Tampa Bay.
The Bills are the only one of the interested teams that play in the AFC, and the Buccaneers don’t face Buffalo in 2026.
Again, losing Vea would be devastating, but sending him to an AFC team that isn’t on the schedule would soften the blow just the slightest bit.
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