Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht stressed Thursday that the team does not plan to trade Pro Bowl nose tackle Vita Vea and considers Baker Mayfield as a franchise quarterback.
“I have no plans on trading Vita,” Licht said Thursday. “… We love Vita. We’ve been engaged with his agent recently. I don’t know how it’s gonna end, but we’ve been engaged and that’s at least some progress.”
Licht’s comment comes on the heels of Vea’s agent, Collin Roberts, telling the Tampa Bay Times that he “doesn’t see it ending in anything but a trade.”
Vea is in attendance at the Bucs facility, observing practice from the sideline. He isn’t taking the field, however, as he is nursing a mild back injury sustained during the team’s conditioning test on July 28.
Licht also addressed last week’s comments by Mayfield, who told reporters that he felt “disrespected” and “undervalued” by the team after failing to reach a contract extension by his self-imposed deadline.
Mayfield is entering the final season of a three-year, $100 million contract he signed in March 2024, with his $33.33 million annual salary ranked 16th among NFL quarterbacks.
ESPN reported the Bucs offered Mayfield a two-year contract offer that didn’t whet the appetite of the quarterback.
“I’m not going to get into specifics about the contract and all that stuff, but yeah — we do think he is (a franchise quarterback),” Licht said. “We love Baker. Our feelings for Baker haven’t changed.”
Licht appeared to be understanding of Mayfield’s spirited comments from last week.
“Baker, as we all know here, is a very fiery competitor that’s not afraid to speak his mind,” Licht said. “I’m sure — I know he’s disappointed, frustrated. We were too. But like I said, he is, we’re in a good place. He’s focused on having the best year of his career.”
Mayfield joined the team on a one-year, $4 million deal ahead of the 2023 season as the Bucs tried to fill the role of the retired Tom Brady.
Mayfield, 31, earned back-to-back Pro Bowl nods in 2023 and 2024 while helping Tampa Bay capture consecutive division titles, though the team limped to an 8-9 record last season and missed the playoffs.
In eight NFL seasons with four teams, Mayfield has completed 63.5% of his passes for 28,525 yards, 197 touchdowns and 101 interceptions in 123 games (120 starts).
Vea, 31, is entering the final season of a four-year, $71 million extension signed in 2022. He is due a $17 million base salary in 2026, but none of it is guaranteed. He also can earn up to $1 million through per-game roster bonuses.
Vea remained one of the most important pieces of the Tampa Bay defense last season, starting all 17 games and recording 34 tackles, 4.5 sacks, seven tackles for loss and 13 quarterback hits. His presence in the middle has helped the Buccaneers consistently rank among the NFL’s stronger teams against the run.
The Bucs selected the 6-foot-4, 347-pound lineman with the 12th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. He has totaled 256 tackles, 35 sacks and 79 QB hits in 112 games (107 starts) over eight seasons.
Vea also helped Tampa Bay win Super Bowl LV and earned Pro Bowl selections following the 2021 and 2024 seasons.