More than anything it comes down to how productive he can be in his 30s.
Also Dexter Lawrence got a top 10 pick... So maybe a good time to trade him anyway based on that barometer
To your point, Dexter Lawrence maybe 28? Vea is 31, I think.
But yes maybe they get something decent in trade.
It will work out. There is a compromise contract and there is a trade that works for both sides.
thing with Evans is that he likely still has 3-4 years of half decent play that would be worth the contract
The team's value statement ^^.
That is my point ("Every player/deal has a value and players and teams often see them differently") and they STILL didn't offer Evans what his agent said was the market for him.
Everyone here except you and Biggs seems to be okay with the Bucs early negotiating with Mayfield so long as the deal is okay, so why should Vea have to play out his deal? Because . . . those same fans think he may not have the same production going forward as Evans might ("3-4 year of half decent play") or that most people** think Mayfield might
(**If only we could get more people to see that Mayfield is really only a 1.33TD to INT QB . .. aka the "Last 8 games Model," made famous by the "objective" stat makers at PFF, I think!)
to be clear, vita should play on his contact. I’m just saying I understand his play just like I understand baker wanting a 5 year deal.
also, a little different than Baker. Vita is top 10 at his position and didn’t have a down year in all material respects
Baker is arguably top 15-20 and is coming off his worst year as a Buc
they appear to have different leverage heading into 2026 season
More than anything it comes down to how productive he can be in his 30s.
Agreed. It's why I'd let him play out his contract.
I don't think the Bucs would get anything close to what the Giants got for Dexter. Dexter is almost three years younger, and a better overall player.
they appear to have different leverage heading into 2026 season
You think Vea has better leverage than Mayfield? Because, in your view "Vea is a top 10 player and didnt have a down year" in 2025?
Just curious, what do you think the odds are that the Bucs tell Vea "no trade, play out your current deal" in 2026?
Vita is top 10 at his position and didn’t have a down year in all material respects
FWIW this Josh Q in an article saying Vea is probably worth a 3rd round pick
"His $17.75 million average salary is now 19th among all interior defensive linemen and his $18 million cash owed is 13th at his position group for this year.
By comparison he was 15th in snaps, 12th in pressures, 21st in pressure rate, 46th in defensive stops and 29th in sacks last year per Pro Football Focus. Those rankings are almost all down from where he was in 2024, showing the real risk involved with a now-31-year-old defensive tackle. Is Vea currently worth more than the salary the Bucs are set to pay him this year?"
Even I think there are external factors but if they are ignored for Mayfield they must be ignored for Vea.
Making baker and vea play out their final years is not a bad way of going about it. Tampa needs both of them to play out of their minds for the team to begin to contend. They desperately need to get a winning culture going again. If the team proves to suck again you turn the page. Simple as can be. If they play great you open up the checkbook and make a statement there. It's not being completely mismanaged yet. Has potential to go either way and that's why you don't commit yet.
More than anything it comes down to how productive he can be in his 30s.
Also Dexter Lawrence got a top 10 pick... So maybe a good time to trade him anyway based on that barometer
To your point, Dexter Lawrence maybe 28? Vea is 31, I think.
But yes maybe they get something decent in trade.
It will work out. There is a compromise contract and there is a trade that works for both sides.
Yeah I think it sets the value at maybe a 2nd and 4th rounder? Something like that
Yeah I think it was SR who months ago commented about the facts that Suh is into the financial stuff and Vea works out with him and if you put 2 and 2 together... well 2 and 2 did get put together as we can now see. But Suh is right. Why didn't this stuff get done? It always comes down to a last minute game of chicken between the team and the agent and I don't get why it has to be that way either. They know what the numbers are, whats out there and where it's going to end up. They could have seen the writing on the wall before the draft and traded Vea then. Vea could have told them "Pay me or trade me" early on in the offseason. His agent should have recognized whether or not the team had a serious desire to get a new deal done or if they didn't.Had to know Suh would chime in
Making baker and vea play out their final years is not a bad way of going about it. Tampa needs both of them to play out of their minds for the team to begin to contend. They desperately need to get a winning culture going again. If the team proves to suck again you turn the page. Simple as can be. If they play great you open up the checkbook and make a statement there. It's not being completely mismanaged yet. Has potential to go either way and that's why you don't commit yet.
Ultimately we really don't need to look further than LVD...Licht was very smart to start signing aging players to 1 year deals because some gradually decline, while other fall off a cliff performance-wise...Tampa has a long history of signing players(internally and externally) to contracts that they don't deserve, or are just beyond their shelf life... and I'm not talking about Licht, I'm going back decades. As for these contracts, as it pertains to Baker...I want to know 2024 wasn't the outlier in his performace. Not saying 2023 wasn't a nice bouceback year for him, but what you have sandwiched around his 2024 year is not 50+million salary level play. I want to see him with another competitant coordinator and an OL that can actually string together some starts with the entire starting unit... As for Vea.. he is one of my fav players..I love the attitude and his brute strength, but he is getting to that point where others have mentioned that his body could start declining with no warning...I have a dilemma because he is a vital part of our defense he likely won't stay beyond this year unless he gets his extension, and while I'm all for giving him a bump in salary for this year, I do not want the team to sign him to a 2-3 year extension making north of 20 million just to have his play decline and then be on the hook for a large chunk of dead cap space in future years..
Just curious, what do you think the odds are that the Bucs tell Vea "no trade, play out your current deal" in 2026?
i'd suggest very high if they want to compete this year
probably 60% he plays on current deal, maybe sits out first several games
probably 20% he is traded
Probably 20% he is extended additional 2 years at a raise.
Odds 25% or less and it's because Vea has no guarantees for this season. They can't expect him to play out this deal when he has no protection against injury. Something has to be done or he'll hold out and nobody has the right to blame him. I don't think the Bucs will hang him out to dry like that. IMO Vea won't play a snap in pads until he gets a new deal, at least I wouldn't if I were him. At the very least he has to get his 2026 salary guaranteed and even that isn't enough IMO.Just curious, what do you think the odds are that the Bucs tell Vea "no trade, play out your current deal" in 2026?
i'd suggest very high if they want to compete this year
probably 60% he plays on current deal, maybe sits out first several games
probably 20% he is traded
Probably 20% he is extended additional 2 years at a raise.
Another factor - the 2027 Franchise tag has to be reserved for Mayfield's negotiations. That bargaining chip is huge for the Bucs when trying to extend Mayfield after the season. That means Vea walks after this year unless they lock him up.
But Suh is right. Why didn't this stuff get done?
one reason would be the Bucs dont want to give him the guaranteed $ he seeks
they have been talking for some time. Vea even attended but did not participate the prior offseason program
Odds 25% or less and it's because Vea has no guarantees for this season.Just curious, what do you think the odds are that the Bucs tell Vea "no trade, play out your current deal" in 2026?
i'd suggest very high if they want to compete this year
probably 60% he plays on current deal, maybe sits out first several games
probably 20% he is traded
Probably 20% he is extended additional 2 years at a raise.
Acknowledging that contracts are not my thing, isnt this (in bold) correct? He has only the salary of $17 million, paid per game? I think maybe a small roster bonus, but this was Suh's point, I thought?
Pretty important factor
