Vita Vea reveals why he never wanted to leave the Buccaneers

Vita Vea and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were finally able to reach an agreement on a contract extension, ending the veteran defensive tackle’s hold-in and keeping him with the team through 2027. 

It’s a one-year, $30 million extension, but for all intents and purposes, it’s a fully guaranteed two-year, $48 million deal. 

Now that the ink has dried, the Bucs and Vea can leave this situation behind them and turn their attention toward the 2026 season, with no distractions. Vea spoke to reporters after practice Wednesday, taking questions and clearing the air now that the saga has finally been resolved.

Vita Vea makes it clear he never wanted to leave the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

“I always wanted to be a Buc, and I wanted to be a Buc for life. So I’m glad that we were able to get this done,” Vea said. 

When asked if there was any truth to the reports that Vea had requested a trade, he jokingly shrugged it off, saying he doesn’t know and that it’s behind him now. 

He then followed up with a more sincere answer, making it clear that it was all business, and despite a tense negotiation period, he always wanted to stay home in Tampa.

“I got drafted here. I made Tampa my home. I love it here. The guys on the team are like brothers to me. We look at each other as family so I didn’t want to leave that behind and switch teams and get traded so, that was never the end goal for me. I always wanted to be here.”

The new contract is a massive win for Vea, who now has two years of commitment at $24 million per year, fully guaranteed. 

But the Bucs are winners too, as they are able to hold onto one of their key defensive pieces not just for the 2026 season, but for 2027 as well. 

The front office will have its hands full with contract talks for impending free agents Baker Mayfield, Yaya Diaby, and Cody Mauch. Getting Vea’s deal out of the way and not having to negotiate with him next offseason on top of all their other key free agents is an underrated luxury. 

Vea is the centerpiece of everything the Bucs do defensively. He makes life miserable for opposing offenses, consistently taking on double teams and still finding ways to ruin game plans. Since 2019, when Vea became a full-time starter, he leads all nose tackles with 32 sacks and has helped Tampa Bay produce the NFL’s No. 1 run defense in that span. 

The Buccaneers’ defense wouldn’t be the same without Vea in the middle, and they’re thrilled to get him back in the fold and unleash him on opponents for two more seasons. 

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