Adam Schefter: “Same Thing” For Vita Vea
July 13th, 2026
Do the Bucs want to hand 31-year-old manbeast defensive tackle Vita Vea a contract extension before this season?
Per ESPN-TV super NFL insider Adam Schefter speaking today on The Pat McAfee Show, it seems the Bucs do indeed what that to happen.
Schefter was asked about Baker Mayfield’s contract-extension status and shared what Bucs fans already know. The Bucs made an offer that disappointed Mayfield and the two sides are eager to find common ground.
He added the Bucs “will definitely be working to try to get a deal done with Baker.”
And then Schefter was hit with a question about the Bucs’ interest in getting a contract extension done for Vea. Like Mayfield, Vea’s contract ends after this season. Schefter replied, “Same thing,” referring to the Mayfield talks.
Then Schefter explained all teams are approaching a negotiation window before training camp when deals get done. He suspects Mayfield-Bucs will heat up next week — just prior to Bucs players reporting to camp on July 28.
While the Bucs likely are serious about getting a deal done with Mayfield, Joe suspects their motivation is not the same for Vea, whose NFL life expectancy is much shorter than Mayfield’s.
Joe has no doubt that Vea is looking for a monster payday, his final one in the NFL.
July 13th, 2026 at 2:21 pm
Vita will get done before baker…His extension will come the week that TC starts
baker won a playoff game 3years ago and folks want to sign him to a long term deal lol…since then he’s lead the NFL in INTs and Fumbles and choked in December 25’…he has zero leverage…he’ll be forced to play it out and prove he can:
A.) Stay healthy
B.) win in DEC & JAN(playoffs)
GO BUCS!!!!!
July 13th, 2026 at 2:52 pm
Baker won’t win in Dec/Jan if the defense quits like they did last year.
Won’t win if Bowles’ keeps blowing decisions on game day.
Won’t win if half the oline is out, and they have to resort to practice squad (at best) quality replacements.
July 13th, 2026 at 2:58 pm
He has what 1 or 2 good years left? Where is he going? Give him a nice 3-year deal that we can get out of after 2 to protect his decline which will be obvious with him. Go BUCS!!
July 13th, 2026 at 3:17 pm
1 or 2 good years?? He’s not old for a QB. Their shelf life is significantly longer than most other positions. He may still be 2 contracts away from retiring. Or 3, depending on length. There’s no reason to believe he’s declining. The offensive line sure was last year. Fortunately, we have great starters when they are in.
July 13th, 2026 at 3:17 pm
813bucboi, what is your source or is this your assumption?
July 13th, 2026 at 3:21 pm
I do not understand the mania to extend Vita and Baker – sure the players want long guaranteed lucrative contracts – just leave the negotiations until the end of the 2026 season
July 13th, 2026 at 3:30 pm
mod
JL usually extends player in AUG…you can check his track record
but baker will have to play his out..vita will get done
GO BUCS!!!!
July 13th, 2026 at 3:39 pm
Try and trade VV while he still has value. No takers, then let him play out his contract.
July 13th, 2026 at 3:46 pm
Yes absolutely give Vita his money!! Worth every penny. Dude is great!!, He is going to be in the Ring of Honor one day. Love Vita Vea!! The whole defensive success revolves around #50 doing his thing.
July 13th, 2026 at 3:46 pm
I’m really liking this team. I hated losing Mike, and Rachaad, and Jamal. But they needed to go. Vita Vea is the last Rock left on this defense at the moment. The offense has a few rocks left in Godwin and Wirfs. The team needs to keep these rocks for as long as we can.
July 13th, 2026 at 3:47 pm
Sounds like Bale broke the news in the quarterback doc that he was playing with a sprained mcl and pick since week 2.
I figured that hit from Pitre where Baker was on the ground in agony was more serious than he led on.
July 13th, 2026 at 3:47 pm
MCL and pcl*
July 13th, 2026 at 3:48 pm
Trainning with Suh is the reason why I think the Bucs should make VV an offer to make him (trully) a Bucs for life.
Go Bucs
July 13th, 2026 at 3:50 pm
I was talking about Vita. Baker has what 6-8 years left on quality QB play. Pay him long term-Vita not so much. Go BUCS!!
July 13th, 2026 at 4:05 pm
Don’t get fans wanting to run Vea off. That’s all this defense needs. You guys taking crazy pills? Joe thinks Vea wants to break the bank, I’m not so sure. What I do know is Vea has plenty of ball left in him. He’s a future ROH Buc. I do not want to see him going anywhere.
July 13th, 2026 at 4:05 pm
Jason-Licht-is-a-nitwit Says:
July 13th, 2026 at 3:21 pm
“I do not understand the mania to extend Vita and Baker – sure the players want long guaranteed lucrative contracts – just leave the negotiations until the end of the 2026 season”
They will be free agents if you wait to sign after the season is over. Some team will pay big bucks that is very good but needs a decent QB or DL. Look at Seattle if you want to see an example.
July 13th, 2026 at 4:10 pm
StPete Matt is so eager to defend Baker, that when a poster is talking about a completely different player, he chimes in.
Matt Truth was referring to Vita having only a couple years left.
July 13th, 2026 at 4:13 pm
Yeah Floormatt truly has some serious man love for Faker.
Vita is a stud. I’d give him a contract way before our sub par QB.
He’s actually won a SB. Unlike Faker who never will even play in one.
Mike knows!
July 13th, 2026 at 4:30 pm
I’d gladly give Vita an extension, certainly before I’d give Baker one. Vita has consistently been increasing the number of snaps he plays each game, and has mostly stayed healthy. Like others on the team, he’s a victim of Bowles awful super soft zone defense that always gives QB’s an easy pass to make when they get into trouble, and so his sacks numbers are never going to be high (also for the dummies out there, almost no 3-4 NT’s rack up big numbers as their job is more about eating up offensive lineman to let other guys make plays).
I used to never be as high on Vita as others, who stupidly talked about him being in the same class as Sapp – which has never been close to true, and only Aaron Donald over the last couple of decades is in that class. But while those morons oversold Vita, now, for some reason, the idiots have decided that Vita is overrated, which also isn’t true.
As for Vita aging, I don’t buy the idea he won’t age well. Because he’s so big, and always has played well over his combine weight of 350, that people quote as if it isn’t a decade out of date, well being that size gives him two routes to go. When Vita does start to lose a step, he can just drop weight to get it back. If he was a Suh sized 330lb, you can’t convince me he’s suddenly not going to be able to play the run. Conversely, Vita could also go the other route and get up to 400lb and just become a completely immoveable 2-down run stuffer, which is still a very highly sought after commodity. Personally I’d take the lower weight, but the fact he has two options available, means he’s got more years left in him. Considering he’s under contract this year, I’d do a 3-year extension, with the 3rd year basically being a team option – or giving the ability to cut him without blowing up the cap. Yeah, he’ll be expensive, but if you’ve paid attention to football salaries, everything is expensive now.
July 13th, 2026 at 4:42 pm
Baker always chokes in the playoffs. He wins one game and then ends up falling off just like the first guy said he needs to stay healthy and win in the playoffs. Matter fact just win in December and January. And stop trying to blame it on the offensive line. It’s not always the offensive line’s fault. Now that Baker doesn’t have Mike Evans as a safety net we’ll see if he can make decisions in the pocket and stay healthy. Try to slide once in a while he doesn’t have to try to run through linebackers makes no sense. Half the league already knows that he’s tough and he’s a bad ass but now he needs to show people that he can step it up. Make right decisions. Use his check downs once in a while and get the ball moving because as of now he’s Jameis Winston. And if the defense isn’t playing like it should then Todd Bowles needs to get the hell out of town. Because we have fresh bodies hopefully people can stay healthy and play meaningful football 60 min a game
July 13th, 2026 at 4:57 pm
Anyone from this defense asking for a raise is a CLOWN
July 13th, 2026 at 5:10 pm
In the Washington game he was 15 of 18 for 2 td’s and 185 yards, 146 passer rating. Skins never punted, had the ball over 35 minutes, were 8 of 15 on 3rd down, 3 of 5 on 4th. McMillan ran into Baker on the jet sweep, timing was off. QB gets charged with the fumble in botched exchanges, but it was obviously not his fault
July 13th, 2026 at 6:00 pm
If he refuses to practice, trade him
July 13th, 2026 at 6:41 pm
Vita should be traded for some future draft picks, to a contender with a real head coach. Make the picks for 2028 so a new head coach will have had time to survey the carnage and see what he really wants.
July 13th, 2026 at 6:50 pm
Let’s not handcuff future seasons over paid back loaded contracts for old players.
July 13th, 2026 at 6:55 pm
Tevita Tuliʻakiʻono Tuipulotu Mosese Vaʻhae Fehoko Faletau “Vita” Vea is training with Ndamakong Suh who played effectively until 35 years of age and is likely a HOF’er. VV is 31 so logic would tell us that VV likely has at least 3 or maybe 4 good seasons left. Currently Vea is the 17th highest paid Interior Defensive Lineman in the NFL. VV is way underpaid and deserves to finish his career as a Buc for life-so get off your wallet Glazer boys and tell Licht to get er done.
July 13th, 2026 at 7:02 pm
@Beeej
Correct assessment. Baker gets the blame by the haters. Buc’s offense had only 7 possessions. Scored on 4 with 20 points. That play was going a long long way. Shame they fumbled.
July 13th, 2026 at 7:09 pm
Extend Vea as long as possible, five years if possible, with enough guaranteed money to get him to sign and big incentives in the later years.
July 13th, 2026 at 8:39 pm
Extend vea. He’s still a beast also he trains with suh who looked great well into his mid 30s plus vea paired with Robinson , bain , kancey when healthy and yaya will be a nice combo and should do dividends for our DBs which is our weakest link I mean at CB smith and Winfield are a great duo