The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Vita Vea to a one-year, $30 million contract extension that essentially amounts to a fully guaranteed two-year, $48 million deal.
Tampa Bay ensured that its most important defensive player will remain with the Buccaneers through 2027 and put an end to his hold-in and ongoing trade request that has dominated headlines this offseason.
Keeping Vea is a win for the Buccaneers, but the move could have a domino effect next offseason. Tampa Bay has a loaded group of impending free agents, and they simply won’t be able to keep everyone. Giving Vea such a lucrative deal could force the team to move on from another one of their core players.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers could lose Yaya Diaby or Cody Mauch next offseason
The Buccaneers have several important players scheduled to hit free agency next offseason, including quarterback Baker Mayfield, right guard Cody Mauch, and outside linebacker Yaya Diaby.
They’ll also have to make a decision on a team option for Chris Godwin Jr., the team’s longest-tenured player.
Mayfield will obviously be the biggest priority. Even if the Buccaneers can’t get a long-term deal done with their quarterback, they’ll almost certainly use the franchise tag and commit roughly $50 million to Mayfield for the 2027 season.
That would make it virtually impossible for Tampa Bay to keep the rest of their impending free agents.
Godwin is likely to have his team option declined. That doesn’t necessarily mean his time with the Buccaneers will be over, as the two sides can still work out a cheaper deal. However, Tampa Bay is highly unlikely to pay Godwin’s current price tag.
But even with Godwin’s option coming off the books, they could still be forced to choose between Mauch or Diaby.
Both are expected to command somewhere in the neighborhood of $20 million per year, and the markets at each position are only increasing. It would be difficult for Tampa Bay to keep both when factoring in Vea’s costly extension as well as Mayfield’s expected new deal.
That puts the Buccaneers in a lose-lose situation.
Tampa Bay has, at least on paper, finally put together a formidable pass rush. A defensive front including Diaby, Rueben Bain, Vea, and Calijah Kancey could develop into one of the league’s most dangerous units. It took the Buccaneers years to construct such an elite defensive front, and they could lose Diaby just as the group begins to reach its potential.
Diaby has recorded 19 sacks in his career, leading the Bucs in sacks in two of his three NFL seasons. The revamped supporting cast could set him up for a career year. He’d be a difficult player to replace.
Mauch wouldn’t be any easier to let walk.
The 27-year-old has developed into one of the league’s better young guards. He ranked as PFF’s 14th-best guard and sixth-best pass-blocker in 2024, and looks to be on an upward trajectory toward elite status. If the Buccaneers are going to invest in Mayfield with a lucrative long-term extension, it only makes sense to invest in his protection up front as well.
Losing either Diaby or Mauch would be a significant blow to the Bucs' roster, but it seems unlikely that the Glazers will go all-in financially and pay everyone.
That’s why the 2026 season is pivotal for both players. Diaby and Mauch will both have to prove that they’re worth the type of long-term commitment the Buccaneers would have to make to keep them in Tampa Bay. The performances they put together this season could be the deciding factor in which one remains a Buccaneer beyond 2026.
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