The Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ defensive tackle, Vita Vea, skipped the OTAs and instead trained with former Bucs teammate Ndamukong Suh in Portland. That move made sense, considering the OTAs are optional. However, Vea has reportedly held in during the mandatory minicamp. That means the 31-year-old is available at the team facility, but is not physically participating.

And it wasn’t until Tuesday that NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo revealed that Vea has been on the sidelines due to a contract situation. But when Todd Bowles was asked about Vea’s hold in, the head coach admitted that he wasn’t concerned about the DT’s situation.

“It’s not concerning. We’ve been through it before. It’s part of the business,” Bowles said on Wednesday, while also adding, “I could not tell you that,” when asked whether Vea would be available for the training camp if the contract situation isn’t resolved.

There’s a reason why Bowles doesn’t seem to be much concerned about Vea’s contract situation. For starters, it’s the business side of things. And second, it’s the script Bowles had seen before. A couple of years ago, offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs held in and didn’t participate in the minicamp. The negotiations dragged through the training camp, and Wirfs remained disappointed until he eventually signed his five–year, $140.63 million contract extension.

Vea, meanwhile, is also entering the final year of his four-year, $71 million contract that he signed in 2022. On paper, he’s set to make $17 million in 2026. However, the money is not guaranteed. It’s one of the major reasons why Vea isn’t participating in the minicamp, considering the veteran DT doesn’t want to risk another injury. However, Todd Bowles had other thoughts when asked about the matter.

“We’re just bringing him in that late. He’s full-speed. He needs to go through training camp, but we don’t need to see him right now,” the head coach said when asked why Vea isn’t participating.

Since entering the NFL, Vea has been through multiple injury complications. He missed the first three games of his rookie season due to a strained left calf, the entire preseason with an LCL sprain in his left knee in 2019, a broken right leg and ankle fracture in 2020 before winning the Super Bowl, and a foot injury late last summer. So, with the contract situation currently up in the air, Vea seems to be focusing on his health.

Vea played at an elite level last year, having started all 17 games, and recorded 34 total tackles (16 solo), 4.5 sacks, two passes defensed, and one fumble recovery in the process. The two-time Pro Bowler ranks 19th among the interior defensive linemen for his annual average and also generated 51 pressures last year, ranking 7th in the league.

But in Tampa Bay, Vea’s contract situation isn’t the only one that’s up in the air. Quarterback Baker Mayfield is also entering the final year of his three-year, $100 million deal. But since signing that contract, Mayfield has outplayed the $33 million per year deal, considering he led the Buccaneers to two division titles in three years.

The quarterback admitted a couple of weeks ago that he and the Buccaneers are “not anywhere close to a new contract,” and reiterated his stance this week.

“No, pretty much the same, but for me, like I told you guys, it’s not going to affect how I approach this,” Mayfield said. “Things will happen when they should, but for now I’m worried about getting better each day, finishing minicamp, and finishing this offseason program the right way, going into training camp. Just handling it one day at a time.”

Mayfield is looking to settle the contract dispute before the Buccaneers kick off the training camp in late July. At the same time, however, he and his agent have also admitted to not negotiating a deal after the training camp starts.

That said, Mayfield and Vea are now entering the 2026 season after a poor finish in 2025 despite a 6-2 start. Whether they have a contract in hand heading into Week 1 remains to be seen.