Tampa Bay agrees to extension with former Washington defensive tackle

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have agreed to a four-year contract extension with defensive tackle Vita Vea, per NFL reporter Tom Pelissero. The deal is worth a reported $73 million for the fourth-year pro.

A reported $42 million of the contract is guaranteed. Tampa Bay already picked up Vea’s fifth-year option for 2022, so the deal keeps him on the team through 2026.

“Vita Vea has emerged as one of our league’s most disruptive interior defensive linemen due to a unique skillset that combines strength and superior athleticism,” general manager Jason Licht said in a statement.

“Vita’s abilities as both a premier run stuffer and pass rusher are rare, and his presence on the defensive front has played a major role in our ability to consistently rank among the league leaders in rush defense since his arrival. We look forward to having Vita remain a core piece of our defense for years to come and are excited to continue watching him develop into one of the best nose tackles in the NFL.”

The Buccaneers selected Vea 12th overall out of Washington in the 2018 NFL draft. He was a key member of the Huskies run to the College Football Playoff in 2016 and helped them to the Fiesta Bowl the following year. He finished his college career with 99 tackles (15 for loss) and 9.5 sacks.

He started eight of 13 games for Tampa Bay as a rookie at defensive tackle, becoming a full-time starter in 2019. This season he has so far hit highs in both sacks (4) and tackles for loss, and tied his single-season best in quarterback hurries (12). His seven sacks created ranks four in the NFL.

Overall, Vea has recorded 104 tackles (16 for loss), 11.5 sacks and 31 quarterback hits in his four-year career.

Tampa Bay won the Super Bowl this past season and is considered a threat to repeat this year. If the playoffs began today, they would be the three seed and draw a first round matchup against San Francisco. The Buccaneers currently have the third-best Super Bowl odds behind Kansas City and Green Bay, according to Vegas Insider.