It was always a pipe dream that the Las Vegas Raiders would acquire Tampa Bay Buccaneers star defensive tackle Vita Vea. We knew this right away when the rumor mill started churning, but it was still a fun exercise to etch out mock trade packages for the two-time Pro Bowler.
While it made sense in a lot of ways that Vea could be Las Vegas-bound, considering his relationship with John Spytek and Tom Brady, the Raiders' need for a defensive tackle, and Vea's reported desire to play for the Silver and Black or a West Coast team, Klint Kubiak's squad never really stacked up.
Because at the end of the day, Vea wanted to be in Tampa Bay, and that's exactly where he'll be for the next two years. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Wednesday that Vea and the Buccaneers agreed to a one-year extension and more guaranteed money for 2026, taking him fully off the market.
Raiders' Vita Vea dreams are dead after Bucs' star inks extension
Although it took extreme measures for Vea to get paid, he did well for himself. Not only did he bump his 2026 salary from $18 million to $24 million, but he also struck a fully guaranteed $24 million pact for next year. He'll earn $48 million across the next two seasons in Tampa Bay. Good for him.
If we're being honest, the Raiders have no business paying a 31-year-old that much money in what most would perceive as a non-contending window. Would Vea help shore up a struggling Las Vegas run defense? Absolutely. But the combined cost to acquire Vea would have been monumental.
Not only would the Silver and Black be coughing up the aforementioned $48 million, but they would have been forced to give up premier draft capital or a solid player. Probably a combination of both. If the Bucs think Vea is worth that much, then they wouldn't have traded him for pennies on the dollar.
Spytek knows Tampa Bay GM Jason Licht quite well, but there are no friendly discounts in the NFL.
And the Bucs made it clear throughout the process that they didn't want to trade Vea at all. NFL Insider Jordan Schultz confirmed that teams like the Chicago Bears and Buffalo Bills reached out about a deal (Schultz did not mention the Raiders), but the Bucs never intended to move him.
Perhaps Las Vegas kicked the tires on the veteran stud, as Spytek has made it clear that he is always doing his due diligence and finding ways to make the Raiders better. A good portion of this fanbase wanted Vea to come aboard, too. But as the latest updates confirm, that was always a pipe dream.
Vea won't be on the open market in the spring, either, and with a fully guaranteed deal, the Bucs won't be shopping him again. So, Las Vegas must look at other external options to improve, or simply wait for their young group in the building to keep growing. Vea is off the table, though; he always was.
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