Bengals' 2026 Week 1 Opponent Locks in Elite Talent on New Deal

The Bengals' Week 1 opponent just locked in one of its best players amidst a contract dispute.

FOX Sports Jordan Schultz reported on Wednesday that the Buccaneers agreed to a new one-year extension with Vita Vea to get him on the field for the full season.

It's a massive boost for one of the NFL's best defensive lines going up against Cincinnati to open the season.

"The Bucs and 2x Pro Bowl DT Vita Vea have a one-year deal worth $30M to keep him in Tampa and get him back on the field," Schultz posted on X.

Last month, Vea requested a trade amidst the dispute. He also eclipses Dexter Lawrence's contract with the Bengals for the 2027 season, adding another nugget of value for the Bengals.

"Buccaneers two-time Pro Bowl DT Vita Vea has requested a trade after failed attempts at a contract extension, according to his agent Collin Roberts," Mike Garafolo noted on X last month. "The team’s 2018 first-round pick is entering his ninth season with the franchise and the final year of his current deal.

"Vea is scheduled to earn $18 million this season on his current deal. He did not participate in the spring program with the Buccaneers. He’s expected to be with the team for training camp, though his participation is TBD."

Lawrence has been nice prep for Ted Karras, Dylan Fairchild, and Dalton Risner to get ready for Vea.

Cincinnati is holding a joint practice on Thursday with Chicago that Risner and the whole team can't wait for.

"We're going to go out there. We're going to try to do what the Bengals do, and it's going to show us who we are and where we are," Risner said to FOX 19's Jeremy Rauch this week. "So I think it's a huge day. I don't think anyone here needs to be told how serious to take it. Big day today. Get our bodies right. We still have a full day of work tomorrow. Come back in here for joint practice. Take care of business, and then before we know it, bro, we'll be talking about the Buccaneers."

Vea is one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL, posting 72-plus Pro Football Focus grades in every season of his career outside of 2022. Now, he's fully motivated by the new money and the chance to possibly cash in again in 2028.

With the holdout over, Vea has a bunch of time to get in full football shape and prepare to attack the interior of the Bengals' offensive line.

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