“It’s not concerning. We’ve been through it before. It’s part of the business,” head coach Todd Bowles said about Vita Vea’s contract extension earlier this offseason. That part of business has now carried into training camp, with Vea still without a new deal. As a result, the 31-year-old has requested a trade from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers while holding out of camp. The Bucs may have no desire to part ways with their star defensive tackle, yes. But Vea, and at the very least, his agent, doesn’t appear to share the same outlook.

“I just don’t see it ending in anything but a trade at this point,” Vea’s agent, Collin Roberts, told Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.

It’s been more than a week since Vea requested a trade. Since then, the veteran nose tackle has missed time during training camp due to a tweaked back while also holding out, expressing his disappointment with the front office. Vea is entering the final year of his four-year, $71 million deal. In 2026, he’s set to earn $17 million while also eligible to earn a bonus worth $1 million.

However, with the market for defensive tackles skyrocketing over the past few years, Vea has no intention of playing for the Buccaneers without a new contract in hand. For context, 18 defensive tackles across the NFL currently earn at least $20 million per year, while Jalen Carter, Jeffrey Simmons, and Chris Jones are all making more than $30 million annually under their current deals.

Vea’s situation, however, hasn’t progressed since his trade request. After all, Bowles has once again made it clear that the Buccaneers are not concerned about Vea’s contract extension.

“Again, it’s still early,” Coach Bowles said at training camp. “We’ve only been in pads for two days. We’re not concerned at this point [about Vea’s contract impasse] and I think those things take care of themselves. Once you get past two or three preseason games, you start to worry a little bit.”

Sure, it’s been less than a couple of weeks since the Bucs have opened their training camp. But that doesn’t mean it needs to stretch well beyond the preseason. The Bucs wouldn’t like to lose their defensive star. A former first-rounder, Vea has recorded 35 sacks, 256 combined tackles, 154 solo tackles, and 48 tackles for loss in 107 appearances for the Bucs. Still, the Bucs seem to have multiple caveats before signing him on a big deal.

For starters, Vea is on the other side of 30 now, and he’s not going to get any younger from here. At the same time, it’s also worth noting that the Buccaneers are stuck with major contract extensions on both sides of the ball. While Vea has already requested a trade, quarterback Baker Mayfield is also seeking a new deal, as he enters the final year of his three-year, $100 million deal.

With the 2026 season almost here, it still remains to be seen how Tampa Bay will tackle both these contracts. For now, Vea has made his stance clear: He doesn’t want to spend this season in Tampa.