Jason Licht Does Not Plan To Trade Vita Vea
August 6th, 2026
Bucs GM Jason Licht.
The folks at One Buc Palace must be feeling the heat swirling around the team as the Bucs are embroiled in two contract disputes with two of their best players, Baker Mayfield and defensive tackle Vita Vea.
Why does Joe say that? Well, when Licht rolled up to his annual training camp press conference this morning in a golf cart riding shotgun, he was escorted by three members of the Bucs’ media relations staff. Three! Why did he need all the muscle?
Joe already typed about Licht’s comments on Mayfield. Joe is not worried about Mayfield. He’s not going anywhere, at least for the time being.
But Vea? That’s another matter. Vea’s agent demanded a trade for his client on the eve of training camp. Additionally, Vea’s agent is out talking to whomever will call him, saying that it is a fait accompli Vea will be traded.
Licht said he is still “engaged” with Vea’s camp.
“We love Vita,” Licht said. “We’ve been engaged with his agent recently. I don’t know how it is going to end. But we have been engaged and that is at least some progress.
“Vita is a great player. We all know Vita. He’s one of the better d-linemen in franchise history. He’s a very important piece of this.”
Licht was asked about Vea’s trade demand, specifically if Licht is fielding calls from teams kicking the tires about Vea. Licht seemed to suggest this goes on every summer for just about every player.
“This time of year, we get calls,” Licht said. “Not just me, but my staff on lots of players. There are lots of teams — we do the same with other teams with multiple positions. All positions.
“Yeah, you get calls. All the time.”
So how does Licht really feel about Vea?
“I have no plans on trading Vita,” Licht firmly said. Licht added the “hope” is that Vea plays this season. “That’s what we are trying to resolve right now.”
Later, Licht admitted the contract impasse is “frustrating” for both parties “but that’s just business.”
August 6th, 2026 at 1:40 pm
I’d be curious to know how much room the Bucs have this year to redo their contracts… if any at all. And who would be good candidates for a restructure.
August 6th, 2026 at 1:55 pm
Suck it up vita you are playing on that last contract year after that don’t let door hit your where the good lord split you.
August 6th, 2026 at 2:01 pm
He should trade vita. After the 2026 season, Vita is gone.
August 6th, 2026 at 2:06 pm
That’s because Old LICKT’s JOB is on the line, and he knows it. There is only just so much that HE CAN DO for this season.
August 6th, 2026 at 2:25 pm
VV50 will play. He will play in Tampa or somewhere else! Next man up!!
August 6th, 2026 at 2:28 pm
Bubby Says:
August 6th, 2026 at 1:40 pm
I’d be curious to know how much room the Bucs have this year to redo their contracts… if any at all. And who would be good candidates for a restructure.
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According to Over the Cap, they’ve got roughly $8.3 million.
I don’t know how accurate OTC is, but one would assume they’re close-ish. If Vea wants a bump from $18 mil to $24 mil, then the Bucs have almost nothing to upgrade the rest of the team with after roster cuts later in the preseason. Especially when Baker wants his own Brinks truck delivery.
August 6th, 2026 at 2:31 pm
Frequent cap mismanagement makes it hard to get things done. JL is about to be in a wild ride. This current mass chaos is the calm before the storm. ’27 is a nightmare. Better trade Vea now.
August 6th, 2026 at 2:40 pm
Okay
Of course JL doesn’t PLAN to trade VV
That doesn’t mean anything!
He could announce a trade any day now
Or not …
August 6th, 2026 at 2:53 pm
Vita is good, but not worth much more than he is making. Let the other teams overpay. He is a hold over from a defense that sucked bad. I have season tickets, and was there. Vea did not change the complexion of many games, and teams ran on us at will. Let him anchor someone else, and give me the draft pick. He was most active during the introductions. Trade his fat butt, and get someone who wants to play. You win more with players who want to play hard. Look at New England.
August 6th, 2026 at 3:04 pm
Badbucs … ‘This current mass chaos is the calm before the storm. ’27 is a nightmare. Better trade Vea now.’
You’re right in terms of the 2027 season being a potential ‘nightmare’, but that’s tomorrow’s problem. We’ve got enough problems TODAY.
The Bucs have kinda painted themselves into a corner in terms of salary CAP. Yes we’re only showing $8.5 mil CAP space right now, but we all know that can be ‘manipulated’ (rewrite contracts, etc). The number that is really important though is Top-51 Salary CAP Allocations. The Bucs rank #28 in the NFL with a whopping $309.0 mil allocated to our Top-51 players (only the Saints, Pats, Steelers, Cowboys are paying MORE than we are to their players). To increase that number sizeably (by paying Mayfield & Vea a lot more) ultimately means making changes to the roster (cutting valuable players, extending contracts for older players with the highest salaries so we can ‘mortgage the future’, etc) that obviously aren’t palatable to Jason.
I’m not at all liking the tactics that Mayfield & Vea chose (essentially trying to hold the Bucs hostage in 1 form or another, which IMO is what negotiating in the media is all about). Jason’s playing it cool right now, mostly because he really has few options to do otherwise. No idea though what the future will bring as this all plays out.
August 6th, 2026 at 3:18 pm
Kgh4life … ‘He should trade vita. After the 2026 season, Vita is gone.’
You’re probably right; Vea is more than likely gone after this season (gut feel is that the Bucs won’t want him back now that he’s opened this can of worms). But I’d rather see him play here this season than trade him.
No other team will want to trade for a ‘dissatisfied 31-year-old NT making $18 mil/yr who’s a FA after this season’ even if his name is Vita Vea. The conditions for the trade will obviously have to include a new contract for Vea (at significantly more money for Vea to be ‘happy’). And in the process many of y’all are expecting the trading team to throw in a Rnd 1 or Rnd 2 pick to sweeten the pot. Some team might be foolish enough to do all that, but I wouldn’t put money on it.
I’m assuming that Jason means it that he’s not gonna trade Vea (the return’s almost surely not there). He’ll convince him to play out this year, and the best way to do that IMO (and still ‘save face’) is to work in some tough incentives into Vea’s current contract. Example: Win the Super Bowl; $2 mil. Win the Conference Championship: $1 mil. Get a career-high number of sacks: $500K per. All very tough, but if you’re claiming to be the best and be worth the most … PROVE IT.
August 6th, 2026 at 3:22 pm
If you’re not going to trade him, then get an extension done.
Do not do nothing.
August 6th, 2026 at 3:31 pm
My guess is they get something done for an additional 3-5 mil this year. Vea probably wants a 2-3 year extension and that’s risky for a 34-35 year old DT. Bucs are probably good trying to match or bear market offers for him next year in free agency knowing if he walks, they get a 3rd anyway.
August 6th, 2026 at 3:38 pm
Vita is playing for the Bucs this season, period. Licht has no incentive to move him, even to the point of him Vea holding out until the regular season.
What’s Vea going to do, seriously? If he doesn’t play he’s tossing $17M into the trash. At age 31 players don’t do that unless the money means nothing to them. Since we know Vea cares a lot about the money the odds of him doing that are nil.
There comes a time when a good agent tells a player to suck it up and get back to work. Vita’s going to do that on or around September 7th. His entire season will be under scrutiny to see if he’s working as hard as he did in the past, but he will show up and do his best. Enjoy him in 2026, this is his last ride as a Buc.
August 6th, 2026 at 3:44 pm
PS – don’t dismiss the idea that Licht is going to make an example out of Vita. Setting a precedent for being bullied into trading a guy just because he ‘demands’ one is bad business if you want to stay employed as a GM. JL could and should be willing to burn a draft pick to keep this organization stable and not allow the malcontents to dictate roster decisions and toxic locker room behavior. The moment a GM starts looking weak is when a team needs to hire a new GM.
The law of the jungle still applies in the NFL.
August 6th, 2026 at 3:57 pm
Trade Light
August 6th, 2026 at 3:57 pm
Licht
August 6th, 2026 at 4:40 pm
“That’s what we are trying to resolve right now.”
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That means they are still negotiating.
August 6th, 2026 at 4:42 pm
He could have paid him if he didn’t do such a terrible contract with godwin