Todd Bowles: Vita Vea Is Among Bucs Leaders
July 31st, 2026
Team leader says Bucs coach.
We’re talkin’ ’bout LEE-dehrs.
So Lavonte David is gone. Mike Evans bolted from the Bucs. They were team leaders. They helped set the standard.
A big talking point for the hollering shows on BSPN and FS1 when it comes to the Bucs is, ‘who will become the leader of the team?’
Bowles rattled off a few names after saying it has always been collective group leading his team. One name Bowles did mention may surprise you.
He cited a guy who doesn’t want to be here. That would be Vita Vea.
“It’s always been hands-on-deck,” Bowles said about the collective leading the team. “Obviously, you’ve got Baker. Obviously, you still got Vea. Obviously, you’ve got Winfield.
“You’ve got Tristan [Wirfs]. Luke [Goedeke] does a very good job. [Bem] Bredeson is a very good leader. Tykee [Smith] has stepped in as well. A’Shawn [Robinson] and “Nacho” [Rakeem Nuñez-Roches] have done an outstanding job coming in here.
“So we have a lot of guys speaking up. A lot of the right guys. So that’s a plus.”
This may be the first time Joe ever heard of a coach calling a player a team leader when the guy doesn’t want to be on the team. Three days prior Vea demanded to be traded. A guy that doesn’t want to be here is a leader.
Vea earlier this week put his foot down as his contract-extension negotiations dragged on. He demanded to be traded. He was at the first Bucs practice but did not participate. He was missing on the field yesterday but returned to the sidelines today.
Bowles said after the first day of training camp that Vea had a tweaked back. Interesting timing.
July 31st, 2026 at 11:45 am
Todd knows we need him! Good on you Todd.
July 31st, 2026 at 11:53 am
Leader of numerous 9-8 and one 8-9 team so far.
July 31st, 2026 at 12:00 pm
Scotty in Fat Antonio Says:
July 31st, 2026 at 11:53 am
Leader of numerous 9-8 and one 8-9 team so far.
______________________
VV wasn’t in the swiss cheese LB corps or the lifeless defensive secondary.
July 31st, 2026 at 12:07 pm
Bowles isn’t conflating a business deal contract with football leadership ability, neither should you.
July 31st, 2026 at 12:30 pm
Tell me our team isn’t in the wrong universe.
I fought hard to get the message out that we were headed this way. That started at the end of 2022. Almost nobody believed it even with the plane crash that WAS the 2022 season. That’s when I started to look into Bowles background because I wasn’t familiar with his work as a “head coach”.
Found out that the Jersey mafia was seriously considering “cement shoes” for him there.
Such a stunning difference going from what Arians brought and seeing US as one of the most Powerful Offenses in league history to what we eventually became. We had a brief and fulfilling taste of that again in 2024 where I claimed Bowles to be one of the Very Best at hunting OC’s. (That’s how I know he sabotaged our season last year by choosing the Worst OC he could find so that his job wasn’t challenged again. Which cost EVERYTHING!) There WAS A REASON that the team quit and turned their collective backs on Bowles. None of us know why BUT SOMEONE DOES! I do wonder if the OC choice was part of the Exodus. One day …. someone will spill the beans. I for one… WOULD BE WILLING TO PAY FOR THAT INFO. A “TELL ALL” BOOK WOULD DO NICELY…
In the end, someone steered our ship into a corral head. Someone with far more power than Bowles or Licht. NOBODY! Especially not a MULTI BILLION DOLLAR CORP IS AS BLIND OR STUPID AS TO LET THAT “SORT OF ACCIDENTALLY” HAPPEN. Just not realistic.
As far as I can tell at a distance, our destruction was navigated. You can say what you want but… It’ll NEVER add up, “As Is”
Do you owe loyalty to that? Well, that’s everyone’s “personal” decision. And as far as the players seem to be concerned….. ALL the Actual Leaders are choosing to Walk Away from Tampa Bay.
In denial? Well, that’s YOUR personal decision as well. For the most part, this situation is a knife to the heart of the fans.
July 31st, 2026 at 12:34 pm
Leaders of last years defense are expendable.
July 31st, 2026 at 12:36 pm
Leader of what?
Consistently bad defense?
Where was Vita on 3rd & 28?
We don’t need leaders we need players who perform
July 31st, 2026 at 12:49 pm
4 straight playoff appearances up until last season = A Very unsuccessful franchise
July 31st, 2026 at 12:51 pm
No judgment of VV’s tactical decisions, but if he was a leader before, he’s not now, at least not by my standards.
July 31st, 2026 at 12:53 pm
A leader that asked for a trade??, Nobody likes to be threatened !
July 31st, 2026 at 12:55 pm
😳
July 31st, 2026 at 1:35 pm
I’ll bet there are more people in the locker room rooting for Vea to get paid and stay, then there are looking at him as a lesser for how he went about seeking more $$$. I think the trade demand was him selling wolf tickets, and trying to squeeze the front office into coming to the table.
Vita said on the Kay Adams show he’s hopeful and he didn’t come off as a DT(marine) trying to get out of town, but just trying to the check clearers to realize he means business. Veas’ never come off as an a-hole or even a “me, me, me” type of guy. In fact, for a man his size he comes off as suspiciously nice and easy going for a man the size of an adolescent bear.
July 31st, 2026 at 2:36 pm
Leadership. Bowles doesn’t know the meaning of the word.
July 31st, 2026 at 2:53 pm
Vita Vea is the heart & soul of our defensive line. He’s a beast, and opponents show how much they recognize his impact by the extraordinary number of double-teams they throw at him (supposedly the 2nd-most for a NT). No question in my mind that the double-teams impact his statistics, but that SHOULD free up other Bucs’ DLinemen to be more impactful.
Out of curiosity, looked up which DTs now have the highest average annual salaries. According to Sports Illustrated, Vea’s not even close to being in the Top-10:
1 – Jalen Carter (Eagles) – $38 mil
2 – Jeffrey Simmons (Titans) – $35.3 mil
3 – Chris Jones (Chiefs) – $31.8 mil
4 – Dexter Lawrence (Bengals) – $28 mil
5 – Milton Williams (Patriots) – $26 mil
6 – Jordan Davis (Eagles) – $26 mil
7 – Zach Allen (Broncos) – $25.5 mil
8 – Nnamdi Madubuike (Ravens) – $24.5 mil
9 – Alim McNeill (Lions) – $24.3 mil
10 – Quinnen Williams (Cowboys) – $24 mil
Vea currently ranks as the 23rd highest-paid DT in the NFL (making $17.8 mil/yr average). There are currently 6 higher-paid DTs who are 31 yrs old or older (like Vita) who make more than he does annually.
The big guy signed his current 4-year contract in 2023 when the NFL salary CAP was $224.8 mil. It ballooned to $301.2 mil here in 2026 … an increase of 34% in these past 4 years. I’m sure that every player at every position wants a fair share of that gigantic increase, and it’s hard to blame them.
Also though hard to blame Jason Licht (or more like Mike Greenberg?) for trying to keep the team’s salary CAP under control.
July 31st, 2026 at 3:01 pm
“Vea currently ranks as the 23rd highest-paid DT in the NFL (making $17.8 mil/yr average). There are currently 6 higher-paid DTs who are 31 yrs old or older (like Vita) who make more than he does annually.”
With the exception of Simmons and maybe Chris Jones, I wouldn’t want any of those players over Vita, but that’s just me.
July 31st, 2026 at 3:06 pm
With Baker and Vita being the leaders last year, we really do see why this team fell apart.