Contract discontent during training camp is not uncommon, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are dealing with it from two notable players right now. But unlike quarterback Baker Mayfield, who's unhappy but still all-in for the 2026 NFL season, defensive tackle Vita Vea has asked for a trade.
Ted Nguyen of The Athletic subsequently cited a source that told him Vea wants to play for "a California team or the Raiders."
The Raiders' timeline for contention doesn't seem to fit where Vea is in his career, eight years in and 31 years old, to say nothing of trade cost. But there are ties that bind, and explain Vea's rumored openness to landing in Las Vegas, with general manager John Spytek and minority owner Tom Brady.
There is, of course, interest coming in, but the Buccaneers have, of course, made sure it's out there that they have no plans to trade Vea. Plans are nice until Vea takes his discontent further, and trade offers keep coming in. At a certain point, Bucs GM Jason Licht might have to genuinely listen.
But a recently proposed idea for the Silver and Black to acquire Vea falls a bit short.
Trade proposal that'd bring Vita Vea to Las Vegas Raiders feels a little rich
Josh Crysler of Pewter Plank has offered up three potential trade packages for Vea that the Buccaneers wouldn't be able to ignore. The Raiders join the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams in a "one of these things is not like the others" sense as the proposed suitors.
Here's the proposed trade to bring Vea to Vegas.
Buccaneers Get: CB Darien Porter, 2027 second-round pick, 2027 fifth-round pick
Raiders get: DT Vita Vea, 2027 sixth-round pick
"Acquiring a talented young cornerback along with a second round pick and a late-round pick swap would be quite the haul for Tampa Bay", Crysler wrote. "The  Buccaneers desperately need to improve the cornerback depth, and Darien Porter could be a solution for both the present and future."
The trade proposal, essentially, as Crysler noted, has the Raiders sending Darien Porter and a second-round pick to Tampa Bay for Vea. Hypothetically, that would end up being a top-40 overall pick and Porter for Vea.
That'd be a pretty nice trade for the Buccaneers, especially if they're headed for a reset next offseason with, potentially, a new head coach and a new quarterback.
Giving up on Porter so quickly, and giving up the chance to select a top-40 or top-50 player in what's projected to be a deep 2027 draft class, already feels like a step too far for the Raiders in a deal to get Vea.
The proposal leaves out Vea's desire for a new contract as a residual of any trade. That would mean extending him ahead of his age-32 season, and likely a little beyond, at a financial rate that'd satisfy him.
If the Buccaneers aren't willing to satisfy his desire for a new contract, as important as he is to them, why should another team just roll over and do so?
Remove the contract extension element, treating it as if it doesn't exist, and Vea becomes a one-year rental for a Raiders team that isn't in that kind of position this season.
There may be a trade package that the Raiders could offer, and the Buccaneers would take, for Vea. This particular one just doesn't seem likely at all. Spytek should not do Licht, his former boss, a favor on this level.
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