Will Jeffrey Simmons Contract Trigger Vita Vea?
June 22nd, 2026
Even after the new Jeffrey Simmons contract was dissected and its inflated agent numbers were cast aside, Simmons is still set to earn more than $30 million annually on the extension the stud Titans defense tackle signed last week.
The timing was thought-provoking at JoeBucsFan.com world headquarters. Why? Because ninth-year Bucs defensive tackle Vita Vea wants a contract extension and doesn’t have one. He’s due about $17 million this season and has no deal in place for 2027.
Vea attended mandatory minicamp last week but did not participate in practice. Some call it a “hold-in.” It’s a way for a player avoid injury risk — and mandatory fines per the NFL labor agreement. The team, of course, could fine Vea directly for failing to participate.
Might the giant Simmons contract lead Vea to dig in and stage a true holdout in training camp?
That’s doubtful because it would cost Vea tens of thousands of dollars in fines. But if he “holds-in,” then fines would be at the Bucs’ discretion.
The Bucs likely want Vea to play out his contract. That’s what happens when you’re 31 years old at a position where longevity is scarce.
And Joe knows the whole “Buc For Life” mantra is a scam. In March of 2024, a 30-year-old Mike Evans signed a two-year extension with the Buccaneers. Why that deal wasn’t for three years remains a mystery.
June 22nd, 2026 at 7:32 am
Vita is good but not in same class. Apples to oranges. Go Bucs!
June 22nd, 2026 at 7:48 am
Make him play on the last year of his contract. It’s amazing how some players have their best year in the last year of their contract. AKA Winfield.
June 22nd, 2026 at 8:05 am
PAY HIM!!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!!
June 22nd, 2026 at 8:19 am
Option 1 – Play out the current contract, then make a decision going forward
Option 2 – Sign 3-year extension and he gets more this year
Option 3 – Sign him to a 3-year extension, but his pay doesn’t increase until next year
The Bucs need to decide how much longer to keep Vea based on his expected productivity. If I was GM, I would consider Option 2 or 3 with caveats and/or incentives. Caveats being Bucs option/no guaranteed money in 2028 and beyond. I’m giving him 2 years of security, so I want flexibility after that in a worst case situation. The other possibility is to make part of his salary based on incentives for achieving a specific numbers of sacks, tackles for loss, etc.
At the same time, I think the Bucs need to draft a DT/NT in the 1st or 2nd rd of the 2027 draft as there are 3 defensive lineman not on contract for next year and I doubt all of them will be back withe Bucs in 2027.
June 22nd, 2026 at 8:27 am
Simmons is 3 yes younger and coming off a double digit sack season w 11.5.
Vita is nearing the end of the road and is a run stuffer who can get you 4-7 sacks. Vita and the Bucs can mistake likely work out a 3 yr deal that benefits both sides.
June 22nd, 2026 at 8:33 am
Bucs Guy … ‘I think the Bucs need to draft a DT/NT in the 1st or 2nd rd of the 2027 draft as there are 3 defensive lineman not on contract for next year and I doubt all of them will be back with the Bucs in 2027.’
Couldn’t agree more Bucs Guy. As of right now we’ll have Vea, Robinson & RNR as UFAs next Spring, plus Kancey the oft-injured on his 5th year, and Walker & Capehart effectively just coming off their rookie years. That’s not a very enviable position for any GM (or DC) to be in.
June 22nd, 2026 at 8:46 am
It has been often said on this site that the best ability is availability,
After the 2021 season, when Vea played 607 snaps, he was given a four year contract extension.
Vea missed three game in 2022, and his snap total dropped to 539. But, in 2023, he returned to the 607 snaps baseline that earned him the extension. In 2024, he blew past that extension baseline by playing 705 snaps. And, in 2025, he blew past the 2024 numbers with a career high 763 snaps.
That is three consecutive seasons of increasing his availability ability, and it is a 25% increase above his snap total that earned him the previous extension. That is work that the market will reward in Tampa or elsewhere, and it is worthy of being rewarded by Tampa.
Meanwhile, he is in the top tier for the frequency with which he faces double teams. And, he was ranked 12th for pass rush by PFF playing without the help of Kancey and Reddick for much of the season, and playing in front of a pair of ILBs who were opposing QBs best friends when facing a pass rush.
Players at his position who turn 30 are usually starting to cut back on snap counts, so they usually do not get long extensions. But, Vea has clearly been putting in the extra work and has made a special case for himself.
His snaps have increased by 25%, so offer him a four year deal at 25% over his current deal – about $21M per year, with two years guaranteed and with incentives that would let him hit $27M, even $30M, if he meets incentives for things like games played, percentage of snaps played, total snaps played, lean body mass Vo2 Max, double team rate, sacks, pressures, TFLs or whatever benchmarks the Bucs think are important.
Vea is coming into this season having demonstrated three years of ascendance. To say that he is over 30 and write him off does not match the trajectory of his career that he is going above and beyond to improve and extend. Incentives should reward the production that work is delivering for the Bucs.
June 22nd, 2026 at 9:23 am
Calais Campbell is 40. DT is not the same as RB or WR. They don’t fall off the cliff at 30. Work out a deal.
June 22nd, 2026 at 9:45 am
I think Vea is doing the right thing working out to Sue, who lasted a long time due to his conditioning. Yes, the Bucs can’t afford to lose Vea. I would give him a two yr extension this year. He has earned it and is doing all the right things to keep himself fit and healthy. Pay thr Man
June 22nd, 2026 at 9:55 am
Just ask JL why the Evans deal was not for 3 years and you will have your answer.
VV deserves and has earned a 2 year deal for around 70 mil-so pay the manbeast.
June 22nd, 2026 at 10:18 am
Titans have a lot more cap room given a QB on his rookie deal and being a bottom 5 team talent-wise…so they have to spend money somewhere. VV got an early top-off/extension with his current contract I believe. I wouldn’t be against The Bucs trading him to be honest.
June 22nd, 2026 at 10:57 am
NTs aren’t sack artists, they eat up blocks so others can get to the QB. They also stuff the run which is key in Bowles defense. Two year deal 44 million. If I’m Vea, I’d sit out the season without at least that.
June 22nd, 2026 at 11:02 am
For Vita a 2 year contract @ 48 mil with 30 guaranteed would be the best bet. After that its a yearly thing
June 22nd, 2026 at 11:09 am
Let him play out his contract then decide if you want to keep him longer.
He’s good to occasionally very good but he’s not worth top tier money.
June 22nd, 2026 at 11:09 am
Ask Baker if he is willing to share some of the available cap room to keep Vita.
June 22nd, 2026 at 11:11 am
The man is a beast. I’m glad I’m not the one that has to make those financial decisions for the Bucs. Just think about it, between Vita and Baker’s new contract demands could put just the two player’s annual salaries at close to $80 and $90 million combined, that’s a lot of moola for two players.
June 22nd, 2026 at 11:36 am
“Calais Campbell is 40. DT is not the same as RB or WR. They don’t fall off the cliff at 30. Work out a deal.”
Bingo, Yahtzee, Affirmative, etc.
Vince Wolfork retired at 35 and had a history of soft tissue injuries.
Outside of the fractured/broken leg in 2020 and some sprains before that, Vita has been relatively healthy for a tenured DLmen.
So yea, I think we can squeeze at least another 3-4 years out of him and paying him isn’t going to absorb as large a portion of cap space as QB would.
June 22nd, 2026 at 11:49 am
I’m thinking that the Front Office learned what a team with a bad offensive line and a just as bad a defensive line looks like. And then you consider giving up on your league wide, respected defensive lineman? Where’s the disconnect here? Everyone knows who Vita Vea is for a reason. We need to keep all of our best lineman, trade for more of them, and draft as many of the big guys as we can. Jeez.
June 22nd, 2026 at 11:51 am
Granted that’s usually how these things work, but – and this is no knock on Big Vita whatsoever – but Simmons & Vea are 2 very different types of defensive tackles to be comparing apples to apples, even if from same type of tree
June 22nd, 2026 at 11:54 am
Now, if he pulls a Mike and takes less money to scram from Tampa, well, then we’d have a story.
June 22nd, 2026 at 11:57 am
This all just has me wondering now who and how would they pay out of the likes of Baker, Vea, Mauch, etc. if they were also paying Mike north of $20 million per season and he had been a “Buc for ‘Life’”
Someone’s chances of getting paid would have been far less. I’m curious who that would be hypothetically speaking.
This really has been something of an off-season hasn’t it. And what a make or break year ahead for so many. I’ve thought this all along, but I echo Ronde Barber’s recent sentiments here re: this upcoming season for the organization.
June 22nd, 2026 at 12:06 pm
He needs to go somewhere where a real coach will help him play to his potential. He’s wasting his career under Twocoach.
🤡
June 22nd, 2026 at 12:47 pm
Vea should be a full time player to get the bigger contract.
June 22nd, 2026 at 12:55 pm
@ Todd Says: “VV deserves and has earned a 2 year deal for around 70 mil-so pay the manbeast.”
That’s Absurd. I don’t understand where some of these people come up with this stuff. $35-MIL PER!? Ridiculous. They pull these numbers out of NOWHERE, just for the helluvit. ZERO real thought, or anything. I swear… I believe they must have Tourette’s, or something. I mean, that’s not even realistic at ALL. Do you REALLY “THINK” the Bucs (or anyone else, for that matter) would DO THAT!? Why not be talking about NO state income taxes, and not having to pick up and move your family to only God knows where, and then have to buy a home, & on and on… And, this warm Florida weather is much easier on those 30+ year-old bones, & etc. than being up in Buffalo, or wet, damp, and rainy Seattle (with astronomical housing and living costs). What about all of that!? NO. “Your Plan” is to give a 30+ year-old DT a RECORD DESTROYING amount of CASH for no reason whatsoever, AT ALL.
June 22nd, 2026 at 12:57 pm
I’d honestly say Vita Vea is highly overrated, if I wasn’t influenced by the media and other players’ opinions.
But, I’ll trust the other players’ opinions over my own.
June 22nd, 2026 at 1:10 pm
I don’t understand why they don’t make every players contract incentive based if y’all gotta earn your paycheck, only give them the first year, guaranteed and base it off their play on the field
June 22nd, 2026 at 1:13 pm
Vea wants a raise for declining production and availability? No thanks.
June 22nd, 2026 at 1:14 pm
@ Hodad Says: “Two year deal 44 million. If I’m Vea, I’d sit out the season without at least that.”
Ummmm… No, YOU WOULDN’T. And, neither will HE. He’s NOT missing the entire season, while LOSING $17-$18 MILLION in the process. Get yourself into REALITY. Cause, that’s NOT happenin. Many MANY reasons for why it’s NOT. One being, it doesn’t mean this current year would just DISAPPEAR. It would only roll over until the next, AND Vea would not be PAID, while racking up FINES. So, then WHAT!? It doesn’t mean that the next team would offer HIM this huge elusive BIG ‘EXTENSION’ either, after sitting-out for an ENTIRE year. Dash he sits out just HALF the season… Well, he’d only LOSE about $10-MILLION by the time you tack on all the fines, minus 8-9 full game checks. You people don’t know what you’re talking about, when you just so nonchalantly throw out there, that a player should “just sit-out.” Yah, okay… That’s real easy for YOU to say, when in the real-world, YOU WOULDN’T. HE. HAS. TO. PLAY. 💯
June 22nd, 2026 at 1:18 pm
I would fully-guarantee this season’s salary, and then add on an ‘additional’ season somewhere around $22-$24.5 MIL, and guarantee a small portion of it. But, THAT’S IT. And, he should be happy to get it!
June 22nd, 2026 at 1:26 pm
3 year 22 million dollars per year 44 million guaranteed sounds about right. Then after 2 years you can get out of the contract if he starts to decline.
June 22nd, 2026 at 1:54 pm
The only way it would make ANY sense at all, would be IF you were woefully, dead underpaid (and in your prime). And, Vea definitely is NOT THAT. Say IF Vea was only set to make around $6-$7 MILLION for this season, or something. And, go ask how well it all worked out for Reddick. He gets traded to the JETS. He didn’t really wanna be there, AND he still got NO EXTENSION. Then, he decides to “sit-out.” STILL. NOT. WORKING. Until, long after the season was well under way, & then the Jets decided to wave HIS FINES, just to get his ass on the field. And, THEN What Happened… HE destroyed HIS VALUE. And, STILL did not get the big ‘extension’ he so desperately wanted. Got JL to give him one year tho, with about HALF of what he was originally wanting. Lmao. He was WANTING ‘multiple’ years, LONGTERM deal, between $25-$30-MILLION PER. But, he GETS just 1 and about $13-MILLION. LoL.
June 22nd, 2026 at 2:02 pm
The Bucs can’t offer him BIG-MONEY ‘Guaranteed’ LONGTERM. It would make it awfully hard (if not impossible) to MOVE HIM at this season’s trade-deadline, or next offseason. Especially, if he gets injured, has a down year, starts showing some ‘wear and tear’ AND HIS AGE. That’s why it only makes sense for the Bucs to be VERY careful, by proceeding with CAUTION.
June 22nd, 2026 at 2:19 pm
NO TEAM will want to be ‘on the hook’ for $40-$50 MILLION of guaranteed $$$ LONGTERM, with still 2-3 FULL SEASONS LEFT, on a 32 year-old ‘run-stuffing’ NT. But, as just a RENTAL (&/or) with only 1-YEAR Remaining, with say only about $5-$6 MIL left that would be fully guaranteed, & that they could ‘walk away’ from (if it didn’t work out)… Then, Yeah! They’d do THAT. If it did work out very well, and he was a good fit, then they’d just run-it back again, with him. Maybe, even EXTEND HIM. But, with three years left AFTER this season, at $40-$50 MIL fully guaranteed… You can FORGET THAT. Nobody’s doin that.
June 22nd, 2026 at 2:31 pm
I wouldn’t be in a rush to sign him before the season unless its a reasonable deal. Vea is getting older, he plays at a heavier weight than most and looks to be slowing down. This is just him trying to get a payday. I say let him play on last year and revisit next season. Next year deep at DT in draft.
I hope he stays but need to stop overpaying players that can be replaced easier than say a QB. That means AWJ too
June 22nd, 2026 at 3:14 pm
Truth be Told Says:
June 22nd, 2026 at 7:32 am
Vita is good but not in same class. Apples to oranges. Go Bucs!
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Vita is better than good, but I will agree, he’s not in the same class as Simmons.