The Tampa Bay Buccaneers failed to sign Baker Mayfield to a contract extension before the start of training camp, but at least they have bought themselves some time and can re-sign him next year. And even if he blows up and they have to pay him more, maybe it is worth it to have done all that just to get a massive year out of Mayfield; they would surely be more than happy to pay if he is an MVP candidate again.
Meanwhile, the Buccaneers are out of chances with Vita Vea. Jason Licht may pride himself for being a great negotiator, but not only did he fail with Mayfield, he has failed spectacularly with Vea. So many great defensive tackles have signed blockbuster deals this summer, and instead of taking that as a hint that Licht needs to pay, by far, his best defensive player, Licht angered the anchor of his team with insulting offers and is now set to lose him.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers can only blame themselves for Vita Vea situation
There is a lot of copium from Buccaneers fans about losing Vea, talking about his age or his lack of statistics compared to other players, even though they know full well that just a couple of months ago before Vea's trade request came in that they were using logic to destroy these silly arguments proffered by literal NFC South rival fan bases. Vea is a 31 year old pure nose tackle. Those guys age well. He is getting paid way less than the other top defensive tackles. And the organization is in dysfunction with one of the worst coaches in the entire NFL, yet nobody wants to admit it.
Jason Licht keeps saying that he doesn't want to trade Vita Vea or he won't trade him, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would be silly to operate like this. They have to trade Vea. He has made it obvious he wants out, the Bucs are not paying or valuing him appropriately, and the whole thing has become a circus that shows just how little control Licht has over this organization. It's great that he has drafted well, but, one, that's not all him and, two, that's not the only job of a GM. Otherwise, Licht could be director of college scouting or have an ancillary position to the GM.
The Buccaneers have to take some accountability here, realize they totally botched this situation, and either pay Vea, which they have zero intention of doing, or move on. Licht made his bed, and now he has to suffer the consequences of a year of terrible negotiating.
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