Three contenders that should try to trade for Buccaneers' Vita Vea

Vita Vea has asked the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a trade, which should have several general managers checking the couch cushions for extra draft picks.

Vea is 31. He wants a new contract. Any team acquiring him would inherit a $17 million non-guaranteed salary for 2026 and likely need to hand him an extension shortly afterward.

So yes, there is risk involved.

There is also a 347-pound defensive tackle who can wreck a running game without piling up glamorous statistics. Tampa Bay knows exactly how valuable that is. Opposing guards and centers probably have a decent idea, too.

The Buccaneers do not appear eager to trade him. These three contenders should test their resolve anyway.

Buffalo Bills

How many more quiet, sensible offseasons does Buffalo need?

The Bills have Josh Allen and a roster capable of winning the Super Bowl. What they have not found is a way through the AFC playoff traffic. Adding another rotational lineman or preserving a future third-round pick is unlikely to change that.

Vea might.

Buffalo struggled against runs up the middle last season, particularly when Ed Oliver was unavailable. Vea could handle the dirty work between Oliver and Deone Walker, giving both players more freedom to attack rather than constantly absorbing blockers.

The salary cap would require some fiddling. Buffalo has performed that routine before and can do it again. If the Bills believe Vea could help them survive January against Baltimore, Kansas City or Cincinnati, a few reworked contracts should not scare them away.

Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers already added Dalvin Tomlinson, so Vea is not a necessity.

He would be one heck of a luxury.

Place Vea inside with Khalil Mack and Tuli Tuipulotu coming from the edges. Offensive coordinators would have to decide which problem they dislike least. Vea can collapse the pocket, but his greatest value comes from swallowing blockers and eliminating easy rushing lanes.

Los Angeles also has two advantages over other possible suitors. The Chargers have enough financial flexibility to pursue an extension, and Vea reportedly prefers landing with a California team or the Las Vegas Raiders.

This is the type of move teams make when they are finished being described as dangerous and want to start winning something.

San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco does not have an empty spot waiting for Vea. The 49ers signed Osa Odighizuwa and have invested draft picks in young defensive tackles over the past two years.

They should call anyway.

The NFC West is not offering anyone a relaxing season. Seattle is the reigning champion, while Los Angeles has added even more talent to an already imposing roster. The 49ers cannot assume better health will solve everything that went wrong last year.

Vea would give San Francisco a proven force in the middle and allow its edge-rushers to see fewer double teams. He also grew up in Northern California, making the 49ers a natural destination if Tampa Bay decides to accommodate his preference.

Giving a large extension to a 31-year-old defensive tackle could age badly. That part cannot be ignored.

Then again, contenders are supposed to take a few risks. Otherwise, they are just very organized teams watching somebody else hold the trophy.