The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen tweeted that Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Vita Vea, who requested a trade on Tuesday, wants to go to a California team or the Las Vegas Raiders.
Vea, 31, enters the final year of his four-year, $71 million contract signed in January 2022.
Vea has been an enforcer along the interior for the Bucs since he entered the league. His production slipped a bit last season. Vea played the 15th-most snaps at his position (17th-most at nose tackle since 2023), but was 46th in defensive
stops and 29th in sacks. He still had double-digit tackles for loss numbers a year ago and was 21st in pressure rate.
Durability has also been a feather in Vea’s cap. He didn’t miss a game in 2025. Vea has only missed six games since he signed his contract extension in 2022.
Going by the average annual salary for interior defensive linemen, Vea is the 19th-highest-paid player at his position — hence why he wants a new deal.
We’ve seen these contract standoffs in early training camp often. More often than not, they end with some type of pay raise for the player. In Vea’s case, that could be adding incentives or guaranteed money this season without extending him.
But that won’t prevent the Bucs from getting calls about Vea. If the situation reaches a point where there’s no coming back from, let’s look at what a potential trade for Vea would look like
What a potential Vea trade would look like
The Giants recently traded Dexter Lawrence to the Bengals. Lawrence, 28, went for the 10th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Lawrence is a different animal snaps-wise. No player has played more snaps than Lawrence at nose since 2023. While his volume is higher, Vea still has a better pressure rate. But Lawrence had two years remaining on his current deal.
The other defensive tackle trade we can go off is Osa Odighizuwa. But this is far from an apples-to-apples trade. They play different positions. Odighizuwa is 3.5 years younger and is under contract through the 2028 season. It’s still puzzling to look back and see the Niners only needing to give up a third-rounder for Odighizuwa.
Given Vea only having one year remaining on his contract, barring an overpay, his valuation is close to a mid- to late third-round pick. That includes age, production, positional value, and contract. Again, a team could swoop in and overpay, potentially offering a second-rounder, but that would be a surprising offer.
As for the potential teams, the Rams have another defensive tackle they are trying to work things out with.
We know how important stopping the run is in the eyes of Jim Harbaugh. The Chargers drafted a defensive tackle in the sixth round and signed veteran Dalvin Tomlinson. Those moves wouldn’t prevent them from acquiring Vea.
The Raiders would be the team to offer over market value, as Vea would be a significant upgrade from what’s on the roster, outside of Maxx Crosby.
The Niners are in win-now mode and have the cap space to make the deal happen. Vea, who grew up in the Bay Area and attended Milpitas High School, would be one of the few veterans on a team that is a year removed from making a youth movement at defensive tackle.
You probably don’t want to include Alfred Collins in a hypothetical trade. However, maybe C.J. West and a third-rounder would do the trick. You could mix and match younger players to entice a deal, but the Bucs would likely want a draft pick back as well.
What do you think it would take for the 49ers to acquire Vea? Scroll down and let us know in the comments.
