“Heartwarming” Contract Waiting Game For Vita Vea
August 20th, 2026
Since being set to earn about $18 million this season upset Vita Vea, he successfully squeezed the Bucs into granting him a 33 percent raise and contract guarantees for next season.
Well played. Bucs management caved like the Todd Bowles pass defense last season.
It was a win-now move by the Bucs, and Joe is always grateful for those.
The Vea squeeze play led him to sit out spring and summer practices and express a desire to be traded. Was that hard for Vea? Not really.
That was the message he delivered today on The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN TV. Vea said teammates were in lockstep with him.
“The thing that really was really heartwarming for me was like knowing that everybody understood the situation I was in,” Vea said. “And just hearing everybody saying they had my back in all this. I think that just felt really good for me hearing that from them. So there was definitely highs and lows for me; Some day were better than others. Sometimes it gets really boring just standing around and not being able to practice.”
Joe is not surprised that Bucs players strongly supported Vea. He’s an iconic veteran and his presence should make those around him better. Plus, players adore money victories. It gives them hope.
August 20th, 2026 at 2:24 pm
I wish Baker would walk and show Licht that he’s not the Billy Badass that he thinks he is.
Imagine what would happen if Baker just no showed a practice
August 20th, 2026 at 2:27 pm
Baker plans on balling out and making a ton of money in ’27
August 20th, 2026 at 2:29 pm
Im pleasantly surprised glazers shelled out the cash. On the flip side a big guy like vea not in the same training camp shape as other players worries me that hes set up for injuries to start the season
August 20th, 2026 at 2:29 pm
He’s too important to not pay and it felt like a solid deal for everyone.
We haven’t had a great front 7 since the Shaq/JPP/Suh days and I’m hoping we get back to that.
August 20th, 2026 at 2:33 pm
I lived in Milpitas, CA from 2005 to 2018. If Vita allows it I can share some classy funny stories at the bagel and Starbucks stores during the weekend. Congrats Vita from one of the Next Gen Stats developers. You’ve always been a humble class act and one helluva football player. Retired and living in Tampa.
August 20th, 2026 at 2:42 pm
They understood the situation of the contract negotiations or the fact that he had a tweaked back and couldn’t practice?
Prayers for his back injury and for a speedy recovery…
August 20th, 2026 at 2:47 pm
Ok, Vea I too am retired from the Bay Area in Ca. My son played HS football there at Oak Groove . So I am quite familar with MHS.
Concrats on your raise , and extension well deserved from one Bay Area Guy to another. I think you will have a great season and sooo glad you are playing.
also now retired and living in Tampa
August 20th, 2026 at 2:52 pm
Looking for one Fantasy Football fan to play in a 10 man league. Same players have been active for several years – but one has decided not to renew. If you’re interested, reply with a contact email, and I will send you the link.
August 20th, 2026 at 2:53 pm
Time to give Baker a four-year deal
MODHAIRKEN
Really?? 😂 so what you’re saying is you have no clue about sports contract negotiations.
Management and the players are fine, but you’re bent out of shape. 😂
August 20th, 2026 at 2:54 pm
Ice that back up son. You’re going to need it.
August 20th, 2026 at 2:59 pm
Him, Kancey( please please please please stay healthy), and Bain are really going to wreak some havoc!!
August 20th, 2026 at 3:01 pm
I’m glad we have salary cap geniuses at One Buc Palace, because I still don’t understand how a team that only had $8.5 million under the cap just figured out a way to pay Vea almost (if not all) of it and still expects to upgrade the team when the free agent scrap heap comes around.
Not that I didn’t want Vea to stay, but we had more than one priority.
August 20th, 2026 at 3:12 pm
Imagine being a Captain and a “leader” of a truly awful defense and choking away a lot of games over the last few years and getting a raise SMH
August 20th, 2026 at 3:19 pm
Baker walk? You some kind of stupid that forgot he’s under contract lol
August 20th, 2026 at 3:28 pm
Hey Joe, I absolutely don’t buy your characterization that “Bucs management caved like the Todd Bowles pass defense last season.”
This was a classic win-win for both sides!
On the Bucs side:
We get Vea for two more years at a relative bargain rate compared to his peers.
He is a vital piece of this defense in 2026. He is a beast who draws double teams and that will continue in 2027, because — guess what — he’ll still be monstrously powerful and draw offense’s attention. As much as his QB pressures and sacks totals, his mere presence screws up opponents run schemes. And, the current management has a great relationship with him. Trading him would be a disaster as would forcing him to play out 2026.
Where is it that the Bucs “caved”? This a simple answer. They had a player go public with a trade demand. They caved and gave him a 33% raise for this season when they absolutely didn’t have to — and it set the table for future Bucs to go this route. And while 2027 for Vea may be a bargain price, that’s pure optimistic speculation. Joe hopes you’re right. Not every player needs to be “happy” with his contract. Joe would have been “happy” if the Bucs bought a free agent cornerback for $6 million. Joe doesn’t need to be happy, either. Hopefully, Vita has his usual strong season and stays healthy.– Joe They got what they wanted in a one-year extension for a reasonable additional $6M this year and a second year at what will be a “bargain” in 2027. If you want to call a guaranteed 2-year deal — but renegotiating a contract with a year to go — then ok, Bucs “caved” on those two.
On Vita’s “concessions”: he compromised on both the contract length and the amount of money he might have gotten elsewhere. Those are pretty major items in a negotiation!
So, yes, both sides are happy, and in my book this is a fair deal for each. The rule for a successful negotiation is that both sides are satisfied when they walk away from the table.
That, IMO, is exactly what happened. Go Vita, Go Bucs!
August 20th, 2026 at 3:31 pm
I think not paying Baker is a risk that management is willing to take. Imagine a situation where the defense sucks again, and coach bowles is let go. The new coach might want to start with a rookie QB, and with all the talent coming out next season, the Bucs might be in a great position to pick the next franchise qb.
August 20th, 2026 at 3:41 pm
Vea … ‘“And just hearing everybody saying they had my back in all this. I think that just felt really good for me hearing that from them.’
Obviously Vita wasn’t reading JBF on a daily basis.
August 20th, 2026 at 3:59 pm
And I advise that none of our players read anything in here. LOL
I think this all goes well for Vita if he plays well and has a solid season. If he misses a bunch of games and gets injured early, the backlash will begin. It will get freakin’ ugly in here!
August 20th, 2026 at 4:09 pm
I’m very interested in unretiring from fantasy football and competing against the old crew. I’ll check my old email for links. I’m pretty sure if I include my current email here the comment will get auto-moderated. I’ll take a shot at it in a separate comment though.
August 20th, 2026 at 4:34 pm
It’s great getting the big man in the middle all square. The Bucs will have a solid year. Looking forward to it now that Dean is gone and vv is signed. Double bonus.
August 20th, 2026 at 4:34 pm
Joe’s response to JoeytheA shows he’s owners over players.
I will never be owners over players.
The players play. Pay them fairly.
And don’t give me this “well he’s under contract“ crap. NFL contracts are one-sided and we all know it. And shame on the agents and the NFLPA for not doing better by them. What other league can an owner avoid a contract by cutting a player? That’s why they have all of these big signing bonuses upfront and all these shenanigans to make things work under the cap.
August 20th, 2026 at 4:40 pm
@Crackerball
I think I’m back in the game. Draft is Sept 8, correct? More importantly- Vea is back on a reasonable contract! Here’s to a great redemption season!
August 20th, 2026 at 5:11 pm
I hope Vita has been working out in the training room etc. I’m concerned that he could get injured with his inactivity.
August 20th, 2026 at 5:18 pm
I guess the wnba is out of the picture now for vita vea
August 20th, 2026 at 5:36 pm
Joe,
if the opportunity ever presents itself, ask Vita to describe the correct method for dead lift parking at a bagel shop.
August 20th, 2026 at 5:38 pm
if the future players that do the same thing as vita did are as good as he is and pro bowlers then fine. zzzzzzleepy graduates from sam houston no. sleep walking loafers no.
pro bowlers yes. easy.
August 20th, 2026 at 5:50 pm
The Bucs didn’t cave in this situation…they collapsed.
Feels about the same as The Sweezy Swindle Licht fell for many moons ago.
When Licht shops for rigs…he insists on paying sticker price ++. He then bro hugs the salesperson, finance manager and the general manager.
August 20th, 2026 at 7:04 pm
Reminiscent of the 2008 banking collapse. He’s too big to let fail. Greed
Poor Vea got bored. He talks as though he had a legitimate sympathetic issues with all th3 support and teammates getting his back. Full time pay for 60% play.
August 20th, 2026 at 7:05 pm
With something like $2.5m in cap space left it will take some real cap magic or moving a large contract to pay Baker. I hope the cap genie can do it without losing key pieces.
August 20th, 2026 at 7:52 pm
Baker is too ethical..low life’s like Vea and Deshaun Watson use dirty tactics to make more money. But Karma,always wins. I predict a Deshaun Watson like disaster for vea who will hardly play and get almost no sacks these two years. Just like Watson has hardly been on the field. Why try? I got ma money.
August 20th, 2026 at 8:53 pm
Oooohh yay cool, can’t wait to read about another hold out from a player requesting a trade and threatening to sit out the season when all they really wanna do is sit out training camp but let’s pump out 50 different think pieces on it anyway and treat it super serious! Rinse and repeat every year, weeeeeeeeeeeee
August 20th, 2026 at 9:55 pm
Prayes for a long healthy season, this front 7 is gonna be sick! Edge faster, stronger more aggressive. The tackles are stronger faster and heavier for the big push. The mlbs bigger and stronger…Opposing QB’s cant throw with their back in the grass…
They will be like the Incredible Hulk…HULK SMASH
August 20th, 2026 at 11:01 pm
@BuccoMarty:
Depending on how the contract is structured, it may have NO impact on the ‘salary cap’… IF they pay a bunch of it as bonus, that does not count against the cap all in one year, they are pro-rated over the length of the contract. So, they could have converted a lot of his salary into bonuses and spread them out over the 2 years of the contract. They can also put on ‘void years’ which basically allow them to spread that bonus out even more.
They can also restructure other player’s contracts to rearrange who get’s paid what, when.
There are LOTS of games that the cap wizards (and TB’s is one of the best) can play.
Eventually, all of this catches up with you, but you can juggle a lot for 4-5 years before it all comes home to roost.
August 21st, 2026 at 5:25 pm
There was no way in Hell they were going to let VV get away. With all the new pieces around him and they know it all revolves around him! For eight years it’s been a Godsend having big “50” right there in the middle taking on two linemen and still making the stop! Think about it people. That is money well spent!