Exploding Defensive Tackle Market Continues to Raise Price Tag for Bucs' Vita Vea

How much of an impact will new defensive tackle contracts have on the impending contract extension of Vita Vea?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Vita Vea (50) Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Tennessee Titans just recently extended their All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons with a three-year, $105.8 million contract with $100 million guaranteed, making him the highest-paid defensive tackle in NFL history and becoming the first at his position to ever reach the $100 million guaranteed threshold.

It's couldn't come at a worse time if you're the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Bucs are in the midst of contract extension talks of their own with Pro Bowl nose tackle Vita Vea, who just "held in" at mandatory minicamp as he looks to reach a new deal. With Simmons and the Titans resetting the market for the big men in the trenches, it impacts three major things for Tampa Bay: leverage, the guarantee benchmark and salary cap math.

Leverage Lost

Vea is currently in the final season of his $17.75 million AAV contract, which is no longer one of the top in the league for defensive tackles across the league. With Vea's production and level of play still maintaining as he enters year nine, Simmons' contract of $35.3 million annual average salary nearly doubles what Vea will be making in 2026, which gives him and his team extreme leverage as he searches for a premium contract as one of the top interior defensive linemen in the league.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Vita Vea (50) Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Guarantees Likely A Premium

Simmons' $100 million in guaranteed money from the Titans isn't only historic — it's also part of the reason why the Bucs will have to come with plenty of guarantees themselves when sitting down with Vea and his representation. Vea is scheduled to play this upcoming season with absolutely zero guarantees, and with Simmons' contract being almost 100% guaranteed, they will be forced to structure his contract heavily with guarantees through a multi-year package if they hope to retain his services moving forward.

Crunching the Numbers

Vea is a huge part of what Todd Bowles likes to do on the defensive side of the ball, but that doesn't necessarily mean the Bucs should go out there and pay that premium price for a player who is entering the latter stages of his career. With Vea likely commanding a huge raise following what Simmons just got extended for in Tennessee, it would be wise for the front office not to handcuff itself, as they will need to focus on the future contract extensions of younger core players that could come with a lesser price tag with the same impact.

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