The two-time Pro Bowl player has grown so frustrated with contract discussions this offseason that he's decided he doesn't see a future with the team, and has asked to be traded, a league source confirmed to Fox News Digital.That doesn't mean a trade will happen.Vea is under contract for the 2026 season and is scheduled to make up to $18 million if he can play all 17 games in the final year of his current contract.Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) scrambles away from Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Vita Vea (50) during the first half of an NFL football game Thursday, Oct.
3, 2024, in Atlanta.(AP Photo/Butch Dill)A.J.
BROWN HEADED TO NEW ENGLAND TO REUNITE WITH MIKE VRABEL AFTER A SEASON OF EAGLES UNHAPPINESSThe Bucs aren't simply going to hold a fire sale to avoid the trade talk distraction, per a source.Vea wants more money and points to the fact he is currently the 19th-highest-paid interior defensive lineman in the league.And he believes he is much better than the 19th-best defensive lineman in the league.Vea is, for all intents and purposes, the structural centerpiece of the Tampa Bay defense.
He is arguably the team's best run defender and, as all NFL defensive coordinators often note, if a defense cannot stop the run it is unable to do much of anything else.Vea provides a rare combination of size, power to movement to control the middle of the formation from his nose tackle spot.At 6-foot-4 and 347 pounds, Vea has anchored against double-teams for much of his recent years.Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Vita Vea sacks Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) during the first half of an NFL wild-card football game, Monday, Jan.
16, 2023, in Tampa, Fla.(AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)Despite this attention, he is able to clog interior rushing lanes and prevent offensive linemen from climbing cleanly to the second level of Tampa Bay’s defense.
Since becoming a full-time starter in 2019, he has helped the Buccaneers establish one of the N...