The Tampa Bay Buccaneers today announced that the team has agreed to terms with nose tackle Vita Vea on a contract extension. The agreement marks Vea's third contract with Tampa Bay, which originally selected him with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Vea has started 107-of-112 career regular season games, totaling 256 tackles (48 for loss), 79 quarterback hits, 35.0 sacks, nine passes defensed, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. His 35.0 career sacks rank eighth in franchise history, and he has recorded the most sacks of any nose tackle in the NFL since 2019. Since Vea became a full-time starter in 2019, Tampa Bay has allowed an NFL-low 94.5 rushing yards per game and 4.0 yards per rushing attempt, while surrendering just 84 rushing touchdowns over that span – tied for the third-fewest in the league.
"Vita is exactly the type of player and person we want to build around in Tampa Bay," said Buccaneers General Manager Jason Licht. "He has been a dominant force in the middle of our defense, an exceptional teammate, and a tremendous leader in our locker room. One of the keys to our recent success has been our ability to draft, develop and re-sign core, foundational players who set the standard for what it means to be a Buccaneer. As one of our team leaders, Vita has played a big role in establishing that winning culture, and we are excited to have him continuing to help lead the way as we pursue our next championship."
A two-time Pro Bowl selection (2021, 2024) and three-time defensive captain, Vea was a key member of Tampa Bay's Super Bowl LV championship defense. He is the latest in a group of homegrown Buccaneers who have recently been extended by the team, joining Chris Godwin Jr., Tristan Wirfs, Antoine Winfield Jr., Luke Goedeke, Cade Otton and Zyon McCollum as others drafted and retained by Licht.
Over the past two seasons, Pro Football Focus has credited Vea with 101 quarterback pressures and 11.5 sacks. In 2025, Vea started all 17 games and recorded 34 tackles (seven for loss), 13 quarterback hits and 4.5 sacks despite facing the second-highest double-team rate (53.5%) among qualified defensive linemen, according to Next Gen Stats. Anchored by Vea, the Buccaneers have finished among the league's top five in rushing defense six times in the last seven seasons, making them one of just three teams since 2000 to do so over any seven-year stretch. The Buccaneers have also recorded 318.0 sacks since 2019, the third-most in the NFL.
Vea played collegiately at the University of Washington, where he appeared in 40 career games and totaled 100 tackles (15 for loss), 9.5 sacks, six passes defensed, two forced fumbles and two blocked kicks. In 2017, he was named the Pac-12 Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year and won the Morris Trophy as the conference's top defensive lineman.
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