Bucs Newcomer Sends Clear Message on Vita Vea Standoff

Tampa Bay Buccaneers free agent Alex Anzalone has not been with the team for long, but it is clear he knows what makes the defense tick. Anzalone was interviewed by Mike Garafolo of NFL Network after the team’s preseason opener against the New York Jets. When his new teammate, Vita Vea, crashed the interview for a brief second, it offered Garafolo a chance to ask Anzalone about the star defender.

Anzalone made it clear that the team needs Vea, who’s in the midst of a contract dispute with the Bucs.

“We need him; we will see what happens,” said Anzalone.

He added that he is looking forward to playing with him, because Vea is the player who will make his life easier.

“I think it’ll be nice playing behind him, and having that big guy take up all the blocks,” said Anzalone.

While Anzalone did not want to voice his opinion too loudly, it is clear that he wants Vea signed and back in the lineup.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Continue Contract Talks with Vita Vea

Vita Vea #50 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Vea is in the last year of his deal and is looking for more long-term security. He appears to be involved in talks with the Bucs, but Vea is not happy with how quickly things are moving. This has caused him to take to the media, which is rare for him.

First, he requested a trade. The Bucs appear to be shutting down those talks right now, but teams are calling about him.

He is currently participating in a hold-in, as he sits out practice. Beyond that, he even took to social media to defend his stance.

Now, he is crashing an interview to set up Anzalone to talk on his behalf. It is clear Vea wants to stay with the team and sign a new deal. However, he is doing what he has to do to get his message across.

Buccaneers Expect to Give Vea a Raise

As Vea pointed out on social media, there were four extensions for big-money defensive tackles this offseason. All of them were over $28M, and three of them were over $30M in average annual salary. Meanwhile, the last year of the deal Vea is on is worth about $17M per year.

So, if Vea has a good, or even decent, year, he is going to see that type of raise. However, if he gets hurt, it is going to cost him a lot. Without the long-term security, that will be on the back of his mind throughout the year. He might want to sit out a few games if he is not 100%, when he would have played in the past.

His numbers are in line with these other defenders. While he is a little bit older than the players who signed this offseason, he is also not asking for as much as they are.

Vea is looking for a bump in pay that is similar to what the others saw and a few years added to his deal.

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