One year, 30 million. Glad this is over. Should bolster the D even more. Looking forward to a better season
The Bucs realized how important 50 is to the defense. Agree with extension. Baker...not so much. He has more to prove.
“Vita is exactly the type of player and person we want to build around in Tampa Bay,” General Manager Jason Licht said in a statement. “He has been a dominant force in the middle of our defense, an exceptional teammate, and a tremendous leader in our locker room. One of the keys to our recent success has been our ability to draft, develop and re-sign core, foundational players who set the standard for what it means to be a Buccaneer. As one of our team leaders, Vita has played a big role in establishing that winning culture, and we are excited to have him continuing to help lead the way as we pursue our next championship.” - LICHT
yeah i thought it was a big win for Bucs
still can be competitive on defense this year so not punting on the season, + you get Vea for an extra year
i thought Vea would have wanted a 2 year extension so good to see Licht able to negotiate to just 1.
good to see Licht able to negotiate to just 1.
a similar take
"Given that several over-30 defensive tackles signed deals for three years in length over the past few seasons, I’ll bet that was where [Vea's] side started.
But it’s evident Tampa Bay was not looking to go that far on a deal with a defensive tackle who is on the precipice of decline. Most teams when faced with the trade request Vea pushed them for typically try to offer a raise without new years. I’m willing to bet that’s where the team started the conversation. But Vea was unmoved, looking for security beyond 2026.
The two sides came together at one extra year, with the team likely unwilling to go beyond 2027, which would be his age-33 season."
Vea is crying all the way to the Bank with the $30 million for 2027. That's not a team freindly amount.Licht paid a premium for Vea to be willing to forego that extra year. That means they 'll probably have to backload Baker's deal which in turn will create cap pressure when that comes to roost. I'm all in favor of the deal don't get me wrong, because we absolutely had to have Vea in the fold to have a chance in 2026, but don't pretend the Bucs are getting away with something. There will be cap consequences down the road.good to see Licht able to negotiate to just 1.
a similar take
"Given that several over-30 defensive tackles signed deals for three years in length over the past few seasons, I’ll bet that was where [Vea's] side started.
But it’s evident Tampa Bay was not looking to go that far on a deal with a defensive tackle who is on the precipice of decline. Most teams when faced with the trade request Vea pushed them for typically try to offer a raise without new years. I’m willing to bet that’s where the team started the conversation. But Vea was unmoved, looking for security beyond 2026.
The two sides came together at one extra year, with the team likely unwilling to go beyond 2027, which would be his age-33 season."
Watching Vitas press conference, you gotta wonder how big a role of him playing for Todd Bowles played into this extension….
There will be cap consequences down the road.
Again, waiting for the details.
But, they don't appear to be in a position to let the whole amount to hit their 2027 cap.
So, more dead money incoming.
I'm all in favor of the deal don't get me wrong, because we absolutely had to have Vea in the fold to have a chance in 2026, but don't pretend the Bucs are getting away with something. There will be cap consequences down the road.
You're impossible to please lol.
you started in another thread maybe by suggesting the Bucs couldn't be managing the cap well because they had not yet signed Vea (and Mayfield). Now the sign him on a good compromise and you're saying it's bad lmao.
I’ve been traveling for work, but I thought I heard $6m counted as a raise, this season (guaranteed?) and $24m counts against 2027?
Good deal, may have cap impacts, but they preserved the defense for something that could be special.
I’m in, one more to go.
It’s a young man’s league. Glad he will be here for 2 years at least.
baker will get the franchise tag next year imho(worst case scenario)
was quite surprised when the 49ers gave Mike Evans 3 years. Probably helps with the cap hit would be my guess. Less dead money if he retires after 1 or 2.
It’s a young man’s league. Glad he will be here for 2 years at least.
baker will get the franchise tag next year imho(worst case scenario)
was quite surprised when the 49ers gave Mike Evans 3 years. Probably helps with the cap hit would be my guess. Less dead money if he retires after 1 or 2.
i think Baker only gets the tag if negotiations are not progressing as quickly as the Bucs brass like. (meaning real negotiations subsequent his 2026 bounce back year at Licht's direction)
so while a tag can be placed, i think it's unlikely that Baker plays on that tag. Would imagine something like a tag is placed in March but a deal is worked out prior to the season.
BUT.....if bucs go like 7-10, Baker has a mid year call it comparable to 2025; then at a certain point, isn't a bridge QB (Fields, Brissett) a cheaper option?
Bucs need to return to playoffs honestly and then we can talk about the long term investment in the QB.
too many posters on this board are remembering the 2023 playoff run and the 2024 top tier guy....but another down year in 2026 and we got ourselves a trend. Luckily, Baker has been up and down his whole career, so 2026 dynamite season loading....
There will be cap consequences down the road.
Again, waiting for the details.
But, they don't appear to be in a position to let the whole amount to hit their 2027 cap.
So, more dead money incoming.
Okay, so it looks like the real details are out.
As I had suspected, they added void years.
With this one, it's 5 void years, to spread out the cap hit on the $21.4M bonus.
Frees up over $17M in cap space for this year (which can be rolled over to next year).
