HEAD COACH TODD BOWLES

(On his impact on NT Vita Vea agreeing to terms on a new contract with the Buccaneers)

"That's the powers that be, more or less. [I'm] just glad we got something worked out."

(On the plan for working Vea back into practice)

"We're going to start working him in next week, slowly preparing him for Cincinnati. There's no way he plays against Jacksonville or anything like that, but we're going to acclimate him and kind of work him in, [to] try and to get him ready for opening day."

(On whether he ever got restless waiting for Vea's contract situation to be resolved)

"No, that never happened."

(On his reaction to hearing the news of Vea's agreement)

"When you've got a star player, you're happy to have him back on the field. So, you know, it's relieving to know that he'll be out there."

(On Vea being in good spirits throughout the process)

"He's been in good spirits since [training] camp started."

(On what Vea brings to the defensive line)

"We know what he brings to our defense – he's the centerpiece of it. Obviously, he's a big part in the run game and the pass rush as well. So, to get him back in the fold and start getting him working in with the other guys is good."

(On Vea's ability to play a high volume of snaps and rarely miss time)

"He takes care of himself great, and he's in great shape right now. He's come back in some of the best shape he's ever been in, so that's a credit to him. If you do that to your body, you can play a long time."

(On Vea's importance to Bowles' defense)

"He's a big part of everything. Like I said, he's the centerpiece of the defense and there are guys that work around him. He can do so many things other than eat up double teams that help us win ball games with that you can't put a price on it."

(On if he has had any conversations with OLB Jack Pyburn following Pyburn reportedly inquiring to see if he has an extra year of college eligibility left)

"I saw the ruling. I have not heard anything from him."

(On cornerbacks Zyon McCollum and Benjamin Morrison returning to practice, and their potential availability for Saturday's game)

"It's something we've got to talk about. They've had two good days of practice. Obviously, they took yesterday, which was mostly off, but it's something we want to look at and see if we can get them some snaps in the game depending on how they came out today."

(On what he has liked about the team during training camp)

"Oh, just the mental toughness. You know, the guys have been in full pads every day making each other better. I think it's been a good give-and-take on both sides of the ball, and that's kind of what you want."

(On CB Benjamin Morrison's mindset while dealing with injuries)

"Well, he's been in great spirits. Obviously, mentally, he's an upbeat guy by nature, but it's a nagging thing. He's been running around [and had] a couple of good days this week. Hopefully, he gets over the hump that way, and, you know, we just look forward to seeing him healthy."

(On what WR Kam Johnson brings to the table as both a returner and pass catcher)

"Obviously, he's a very good return man at punt and kickoff return, and he runs great jet sweeps and everything. [What] he's got to know and understand is getting better at all the receiver positions. He's done a very good job coming along last year in that. He's doing a decent job coming along this year in that, and that's where he's got to continue to excel."

(On how NT Vita Vea's recovery from a back injury is progressing)

"He should be good to go next week."

NOSE TACKLE VITA VEA

(On how his back is feeling)

"My back? It's a little tight, but it's feeling good right now."

(On going through the contract process and agreeing to a contract extension with the Buccaneers)

"I always wanted to be a Buc, and I wanted to be a Buc for life. So, I'm glad that we were able to get this done. It's something that happens every year. It just so happened to be me this year. There's just stuff that we both had to figure out on both sides, and we got it all squared away. I'm happy we can put that all behind us and move forward from here on out."

(On whether reports that he requested a trade were accurate)

"I don't know. It's all behind us now."

(On the business side of football)

"Yeah, it's just all part of the business. I got drafted here. I made Tampa my home. I love it here. The guys on the team are like brothers to me. We look at each other as family. So, I didn't want to leave that behind and switch teams and get traded. That was never the end goal for me. I always wanted to be here."

(On whether he was always confident a deal would get done)

"Yeah. The type of person I am, I'm always a big optimistic type of guy. I always err on the side of optimism. I had a good feeling that we'd get something done."

(On his excitement to join the new additions on defense)

"I'm really excited. I think we have a few new pieces in our room, in the D-line [room], and then obviously in the outside [linebacker] room. Just seeing those guys and just being able to get close with them and pick everybody's brain, it feels good to just feel the camaraderie with everybody. Definitely, [from] what I've seen so far, it's definitely exciting to be a part of this. I think we have something special here, especially in our room. You definitely feel that when you're out there in practice watching these guys and hearing or feeling the energy that they bring every day to practice. It definitely feels good on my side to be able to be a part of that and be able to contribute."

(On how he feels physically and the process of getting into football shape as he prepares for Week 1 at Cincinnati)

"Yeah, that's the end goal, but I feel great. I've been doing this for nine years now, so you kind of understand what to do. I feel like the callus of hitting people is still there. I feel like it never really leaves. It's in you. I've been in good shape. I have a good team surrounded around me, so I feel like I'm ready to go – good to go. We'll see how it goes. I don't know the plan yet. We'll still be able to discuss that over the next few days and figure out from there."

(On DL Calijah Kancey stepping into a larger leadership role)

"Calijah has always been that guy since day one, since he's been here. That's what's always surprised me about him. As good as he is as a player, he's always been that vocal guy in the room, which you don't really get from a bunch of young guys. He's always been the voice in our room and making sure to communicate. I think he picked up a lot of things over the few years that's helped him out in his game today. It's definitely exciting to see what he has in store for him in the future. I think the sky is the [limit] for him, so I'm just excited to see him ball out this year."

(On the reception he received from teammates and coaches after agreeing to an extension)

"Yeah, I got a bunch of congratulations this morning. That's all it was. It feels good to feel the love from everybody. Sometimes you want to feel wanted, so to feel that love just felt good."

(On defensive tackles around the league being recognized with new contracts)

"It feels really good to get that recognition. Especially – hats off to those guys –  you know, they're a hell of [a group of] players. In today's game, I feel like a lot of the work we do, we do a lot of the dirty work. It just feels good to get recognized for it."

(On the importance of remaining involved with his teammates throughout the contract process)

"That was really important for me because, obviously, one, I know the defense. I've been in this defense for eight years now. I think it was good for me to be able to get some more recall on it, but also be able to help the new guys on the front and be able to teach them the nuances and stuff that they don't really know about the defense. There [are] little details and stuff that go a long way that I've learned over the years and was able to figure out in this defense…To be able to share that knowledge with them and be here, I felt like it was important to me to be there for them and to be able to help them out that way, and also learn from them, from what they're seeing out there and what they're doing, just watching them. I feel like we're always a student of the game. I feel like you've always got to be humble and be willing to learn, no matter how long you play in this league."

(On the difficulty of not physically participating during training camp so far)

"During this whole process, there's definitely highs and lows. Some days are harder than others, but, you know, that's what you have your teammates here for. They were here. They had my back the whole time. So, it was good to be here for them. It was good for me to have them, knowing they had my back."

(On helping CB Benjamin Morrison through his recovery process)

"You know, 'B-Mo,' he's dealt with a lot in the past year or so. As an older guy in this league, you look at this game and it's like no one's going to leave this game unscathed, everybody deals with injuries. You understand the process of everything. So, being able to see and understand what he's going through, I just think being there for someone like that and just trying to help him out through this process, I feel like, speaks volumes. So, I think I'm just trying to be there for my teammates and be able to give a path to help them be the best they could be."

(On QB Baker Mayfield and his importance to the team)

"Baker is the heart and soul of this team. You see the energy he brings on game day. So, you know, we feed off of that too, not only the offense. So, you know, I hope things get figured out with him. I know we'd all love to have him. Everybody loves Baker. That's somebody that you wish to have on your side on game day."

(On what went wrong last season and what will be the biggest positive change for the 2026 Buccaneers team)

"There's a bunch of stuff. I feel like I kind of want to set the record straight. I feel like there's a lot of stuff going about on [Head Coach Todd] Bowles. I feel like none of it is [Head Coach Todd] Bowles' fault and I feel like we all love [Head Coach Todd] Bowles – you can ask every player in the locker room. So that's one thing I want to set the record straight [on]. We all love [Head Coach Todd] Bowles. It's not what he's doing – he's telling us what to do. He's giving us all the answers to the test and it's on us players to be able to go out there and execute what he's telling us to do. He's always putting us in the best position to play. That's one of the main things, just being able to take coaching in that light. If anything, blame us players for not executing. [Head Coach Todd] Bowles always puts us in the best position to win games. I even told [Head Coach Todd] Bowles, the day he retires, is the day I retire."

(On what his priorities were during contract negotiations)

"It's just one of those things, you love to get compensated and feel that your work is appreciated. Obviously, in this league, the market goes up, and that's what happened. We just had to work some things out, and we ended up getting it resolved."

(On what he has seen from OLB Rueben Bain Jr.)

"Shoot, Rueben is a complete pro. You just see it day in and day out. I think there's videos of him [where] you see him out there by himself, but he does a lot more behind the scenes when nobody is around. Just seeing how he carries himself, you don't really see that in a bunch of young guys, so just seeing the hunger and determination in his eyes, it's good to have on your side. He already knows so much of the game, so just talking to him about football, that's the least of my worries about him. I feel like he has so much upside, and we're glad to have him. I feel like everybody who passed up on him in the draft made a mistake."

(On Defensive Line Coach Marcus West)

"We all love Marcus, man. Marcus brings a lot of energy to us in our room. You know, he's very relatable to us. He played back in the day, so it's always good to have a coach that has been through what we've been through and be able to see and be able to relate to him. So, I feel like that's a good thing for us in our D-line room, being able to learn from him as well."

(On why he wants to retire as a Buccaneer)

"It's just one of those things, you know, they took a chance on me in the draft, and I've been here ever since. I fell in love with Tampa, I fell in love with my teammates. I love the organization, everybody who works here. I walk around every day with a smile on my face, and I feel like it just speaks volumes to everybody who works here and my teammates. They say home is where the heart is and I feel like my heart is in Tampa."

(On his conversations with Head Coach Todd Bowles throughout the contract process)

"Yeah, me and [Head Coach Todd] Bowles, we had a level of understanding. Every day we talked, it'd mainly be about football. Sometimes when you're not practicing, you see a lot more of everything that's going on, so it's basically just being able to pick his brain and see what he's thinking on certain plays and be able to help me out in the long run when we get things rolling here in the season. It was cool to be able to stand next to him in practice and stuff and be able to learn even more from him from a defensive coordinator standpoint."

(On helping DL DeMonte Capehart learn the nuances of playing defensive line)

"You know, when you speak to rookies, there's a lot of stuff that they're dealing with, but DeMonte is not one of them. He's picking up stuff pretty fast. So, to be able to help him see the whole game and see everything is just one of the biggest things that you try to teach the younger guys. When you really break down everything, football is like a chess game. Like when we're out there, we're playing chess. You're not just looking at the O-linemen, you're looking at tendencies, there's formations, you've got to look at your play call, what our coverage is and everything. There's so much stuff that goes on in one play, so to be able to help break that down for him and be able to explain it to him, that's one of the biggest things, trying to pass it down to him."

(On adjusting to playing without LB Lavonte David and what LB Alex Anzalone brings to the defense)

"It was tough. It was tough, but it was a bittersweet moment. Obviously, he wanted to end on his own terms. I feel like he had an amazing career. I feel like he had more in him, but, you know, I think the time was right for him to retire. It's always hard. I played with him my whole career here, so that was definitely tough for me, but you're always happy for him. He had an amazing career. I feel like I wish he got more praise than he did. I feel like a lot of people slept on him, but we knew his worth over here. So, that was hard, seeing him go, but picking up a linebacker like Anzalone was big for us as well. I actually have a good relationship with Alex, being that he's a local guy and he's always here in the offseason. I see him. We trained together sometimes. We already had that relationship, so it just picked up pretty well when he got here."

CORNERBACK BENJAMIN MORRISON

(On how participating in team drills during Thursday's practice felt and if he's playing in Saturday's preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs)

"Yeah, it felt great. That's still TBD. [I've been] talking with them, what's the best plan? As [I] said, we're taking it day-by-day. I mean, this is the best I've felt in a while. Man, they've done a great job with my body. I'm in a great headspace, mental space. I'm just excited for what is to come and just taking God through it all."

(On if he's worried about not having as many reps as some of the other guys)

"No, I'm not concerned. I mean, just the competitor in you obviously wants to be out there. Everyone knows there is a difference from being out there, those game reps, those flying bullets, you [have] to make decisions, you kind of see what you're made of. I mean, obviously, I'm not going to be at my best day one, but that's the beauty about the process. I think that's just what I've been honing in on. I might not be [at that point] day one, but eventually I'm going to get there and I'm going to stay when I get there."

(On his thoughts about NT Vita Vea getting a contract extension)

"I was stoked. I mean, it's well deserved. I mean, he's a staple of this team. This dude has put his blood, sweat and tears into this organization. I'm just happy that it got done and we [have] a great player back."

(On how NT Vita Vea has supported him throughout his injuries)

"I mean, just [offering] an ear to talk to. I think in the world we live in, it could be a lot of in one ear out the other. To really have someone who really cares about you, I mean, that's why he is a captain. I mean, I dreamed of being in that position that he is in. I mean, I respect him so much as a man, as a person. Just understanding that he always says, 'Tough times don't last.' I just held on to that. I believe it. I mean, this is just a small time in my long life and I'm going to take every opportunity that comes my way and run with it."

(On what he learned dealing with injuries last year)

"I think the importance of mental reps. I think last year, I was young, I was naïve. Coming out of college it's more physical, it's mainly, I line up across from a dude and I'm physically better than you, you know what I'm saying? Now, it's like everyone in the league is good. So, it's like, how can I, even though I'm not on the field, but how can I still gain these reps off the field? That's why I feel the biggest jump for me was this year coming to camp. Like I said, still getting to where I want to be, but I feel like I've been able to keep up just off of the mental side of the game. Now, my mind is there and I'm getting the body back."

WIDE RECEIVER KAMERON JOHNSON

(On how training camp has been and the level of competition)

"I mean, every NFL organization has competition – everybody is in the NFL for a reason, so there is going to be competition at every position, but it's been going [really well]. I mean, this [has] been by far the hottest week...But it [has] been really good. It's been good seeing everybody making plays out there. Everybody is taking it seriously, taking advantage of opportunities because they know what is at stake. Everybody is coming together – one team, one sound – so it [has] been going pretty [well]."

(On the opportunities he is getting with some veterans not practicing)

"I'm excited – that's all the game of football is, though. It's just always next man up, you know? The game we play is the greatest game ever, but it's also physically taxing on us, so you just [have] to take advantage of opportunities that [are] given to you."

(On working with Special Teams Coordinator Danny Smith)

"Danny is a lunatic. But no, Danny is like really good, though. He has a way with things, you know? He's really dialed into improving this special teams unit from last year, because we really struggled in that area. So, I'm excited to work with Danny, and I'm excited to see what he does for this organization."

(On his mentality as a returner)

"You have to be fearless back there, you know? You have to be able to, [as] soon as you get the ball, see where you're going, and you just [have] to trust it – you have to trust the guys that [are] blocking for you. You have to trust that [the] scheme is going to work. You just have to trust your ability at the end of the day – it's God-given, so just use what God has given you."

(On his goals for the season)

"As a team, obviously get back in the playoffs, make a deep run, and hopefully win a Super Bowl. But also, as personal [goals], I'm trying to be a top-10 returner or a top-five returner – try to get at least five-plus touchdowns in the return game this year, you know, do the best I can. And on gunner, I'm trying to get at least five tackles – it's hard as crap to tackle as a gunner in this league, so [those are] my personal goals."

-BUCCANEERS-