With all starters back for 2021, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took a step toward keeping key talent in the bay beyond next season.
Bucs general manager Jason Licht said the team will pick up Vita Vea’s fifth-year option during a press conference on Thursday. Vea has been a steady force on the defensive front for three seasons since the Bucs took him with the 12th pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
“He plays a very pivotal role in our defense. When he’s in there, a lot of things happen for not just him, but everybody else around him,” Licht said in the press conference.
The nose tackle missed time in 2020 due to an ankle injury in Week 5 at Chicago and didn’t return until the NFC Championship game in Green Bay. He tallied two sacks and 10 tackles before the injury. He helped the Bucs run defense, allowing 2.95 yards per play versus a 3.98 yards average by the Bucs without him according to ESPN Stats & Information per ESPN’s Jenna Laine.
The day we found out he was going to come back and play, it was a very big day for all of us,” Licht said. “Very exciting day — coaches, scouts, players, owners, everybody. We were all very excited.”
Vea will make $7.638 fully guaranteed with the fifth-year option according to ESPN’s Jenna Laine. She noted the deadline for teams to make fifth-year options official is May 3.
He has 7.5 sacks and 73 tackles in his career over 34 games played. Vea starred at Washington for three seasons before the Bucs drafted him.
He helped the Huskies reach the College Football Playoff semifinal in the 2016 season. The 2017 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year finished his college career with 99 tackles and 9.5 sacks.
Shoring up Defense
Tampa prioritized its defensive starters in free agency, keeping linebackers Shaquil Barrett and Lavonte David at home.
The Bucs also re-signed defensive end Ndamukong Suh, which complements Vea on the defensive line. Linebacker Kevin Minter also re-signed, which gives the Bucs some depth on defense.
Work remains in the secondary where the Bucs lost backups in Andrew Adams and Ryan Smith to free agency.
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