Vita Vea Talks To Kay Adams
July 28th, 2026
Good timing!
Leave it to NFL it-girl Kay Adams to be the only person who spoke to Vita Vea yesterday.
Unfortunately, she didn’t know what she didn’t know. Just a few hours after Adams chatted with Vea for a piece on her weekday show “Up and Adams,” Adam Schefter Twittered that the Bucs’ Pro Bowl defensive tackle had asked for a trade out of Tampa.
Still, Adams is the only person to interview Vea in the immediate hours before (or after) news broke Monday evening that Vea wanted out, frustrated that his contract negotiations are going nowhere.
Vea is in the final year of his four-year contract and for a guy like him, he is grossly underpaid. Per Spotrac.com, Vea is expected to get $18 million this fall.
If Vea doesn’t get his contract re-worked, he is the 21st highest-paid interior defensive lineman in the game. Joe sure as hell knows he’s not the 21st-best interior lineman. Top-10 easy, though NFL front office types and coaches disagree.
Vea was his normal self with Adams: a jolly guy who doesn’t like giving direct answers. Vea made Adams work but he still wouldn’t say much, a Vea trademark.
Kay Adams: What is the holdup? And you know I love Mr. Licht. I love him. I love him so much. Are you going on the boat? Have you been on the boat? Get on the boat, let’s go.
Vita Vea: I’m not sure, I’m not sure. I think we will see what is going on (laughs).
Adams: How close are you to getting this done? I don’t want this to be a storyline.
Vea: I don’t know. I hope we are close. My fingers are crossed. I think.
Well, apparently Vea didn’t have to think too long.
There is no doubt in Joe’s mind that Vea is terribly underpaid in today’s market. But you know what? So many people were having temper tantrums about getting Baker Mayfield signed. Well, here you go. Joe mentioned a couple of times in recent months that if the team races (against no one) to sign Mayfield, who, like Vea, is also in a contract year, then that’s just pushing up the timeline to wave goodbye to Vea.
There’s only so much Team Glazer loot to go around.
The Bucs, it seems, are knee-deep into contract talks with Mayfield’s camp. That possibly has pushed Vea’s contract to the back burner — which Vea is trying to get to the front burner.
Given how many defensive linemen are on the roster, it almost tells Joe the Bucs were bracing for something like this from Vea and preparing to play hardball.
What could be fair for Vea and cap-friendly? Bump up Vea’s contract for this year and sign him to a two-year deal with an out clause after the 2026 season.
Mayfield and Vea are not the only starters in a contract year. So too are Cody Mauch, YaYa Diaby and Chase McLaughlin (among others). Mauch and Diaby are entering their prime years. McLaughlin just turned 30 and is one of the most reliable kickers in the game.
(The Bucs value field goals more than other teams, it seems.)
And next season, Antoine Winfield and Calijah Kancey will be in contract years. If Kancey can stay healthy, you know the Bucs will want him back.
So the Bucs could be shelling out quite a bit of Team Glazer loot in the next two years. Will the Bucs be able to squeeze in Vea as well?
This is what Bucs DT Vita Vea had to say about a potential contract extension earlier this morning.
Full interview coming Thursday with some big @EAMaddenNFL news!@heykayadams pic.twitter.com/5X9ZurY29T
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) July 27, 2026
July 28th, 2026 at 5:07 am
Get’er Done Licht!
July 28th, 2026 at 5:09 am
Why do players sign long term contracts? Eventually somebody is going to be paid even more.
July 28th, 2026 at 5:49 am
“IF Kancey can stay healthy”………………….
July 28th, 2026 at 6:01 am
I wouldn’t worry to much about Winfield, and Kancey’s next contract, because neither deserves another one.
July 28th, 2026 at 6:11 am
The Bucs definitely value keekers more than other teams do. Drafting Roberto Aguayo as high as they did is evidence of how high they value them. Then again, Aguayo’s performance on the field is evidence of why they value them.
July 28th, 2026 at 6:15 am
This doesn’t sound like something Vea knew about at all. It sounds like something an agent does in order to get his client back in the news when all of the talk is surrounding Baker Mayfield and not his guy. It seems clear that Vea had no clue his agent was going to float this trade talk to the media a couple hours later.
July 28th, 2026 at 6:58 am
Suh is a cold stone assassin, both on the field and in business. I have zero problems with that. Vea is using what is available to him at this time. It’s all a game. The art of the deal. Just pull up the popcorn and watch. We’ve gone from the summertime desert to training camp. Hoorah!
July 28th, 2026 at 7:38 am
More… bigger photos of Kay Adams!
Bucs chances in the 2026 season are about the same as me hooking up with KA …
It gonna be bad FAST folks!
July 28th, 2026 at 7:48 am
Dorothy is annoying but not as annoying as say Mina Kimes and definitely better looking.
July 28th, 2026 at 8:04 am
Who the heck is Dorothy? Anyway, if you can’t trade Fat Boy, let him stay on his couch eating cheese puffs and watching his money trickle down the drain.
July 28th, 2026 at 8:30 am
Winfield is in a contract year already? Wow. Time moves fast.
July 28th, 2026 at 8:59 am
Pay the man his money… KGB voice
July 28th, 2026 at 9:59 am
joe has it backwards!!!!!
Vita brought this team an SB!!!!!
Give Baker an extension with an out clause after the 27 season….vita should retire a BUC
GO BUCS!!!!
July 28th, 2026 at 10:09 am
The man asked for a trade, see what you can get, if it’s enough, we get value. Who’s going to trade & offer a long term contract? He’s got value if he stays, but by asking for a trade he’s determined the track he’s going to ultimately take.
I don’t blame him, it’s business. Because of his decision to ask for a trade, it was already in the works, he just decided to take ownership of the process.
Either we can sign an aging DT with something in the tank and a wrecking ball on the field – who can still move the pocket – or we get some value in a trade.
You can’t replace Vita Vea, even if he doesn’t stay on the field for every play – but it’s now his decision.
July 28th, 2026 at 10:43 am
The (hopeful) conspiracy theorist in me thinks that maybe this is Vea’s way of telling Mayfield, “Hey, there’s other guys on the team that need to be paid!”.
Is the Baker team listening?
July 28th, 2026 at 12:26 pm
We gave all our money to Winfield Jr. and Zyon who decide to blow chunks on the field every week.
July 28th, 2026 at 1:56 pm
It’s his last chance to cash in. He’s a big man on the wrong side of 30. He doesnt really have any leverage unless he wants to hold out for 10 games.
July 28th, 2026 at 2:42 pm
@Henry, do a little google searching, you’ll get your answer.
July 28th, 2026 at 3:31 pm
Bucs signed AShawn Robinson for 10 mil he’s got a couple of less sacks as Vita but twice as many tackles.