Buccaneers Ring of Honor general manager Jason Licht was talking about extending the contract of Vita Vea — and this time he didn’t reference his stellar draft record of recent years.
Licht took gentle shots last week from NBC Sports super insider Mike Florio for his four-sentence written statement on extending Vea’s contract.
Why? Because Licht’s third sentence went as follows: “One of the keys to our recent success has been our ability to draft, develop and re-sign core, foundational players who set the standard for what it means to be a Buccaneer.”
Florio poked at Licht for patting himself on the back in writing.
Last night, Licht was asked by Buccaneers Radio Network play-by-play man Tony Castricone about Vea “being officially back with the team.” And Castricone asked, “how big of an addition is that for Coach Bowles” and what he’s building with the defense?
> Rightfully so, Licht disagreed with Castricone’s premise. “Well he was on our team; he never left,” Licht replied.
But Licht contined and explained what Vea’s giant raise for 2026 and new 2027 contract means.
> “We’re obviously jacked to get this done and to reach some common ground and get him extended,” Licht said. “Everybody knows what he means to our defense. He’s just such a unique player that affects the game in ways that don’t always show up in the stat sheet, although he is a pretty productive player, too. He just makes the guys around him better. He’s obviously a big part of our locker room, too.”
While the Bucs had three first-round draft picks along their defensive front last year, Haason Reddick was about as worthless as last night’s preseason game and Calijah Kancey was healthy for only three games.
This year, the Bucs have Vea, Kancey and Miami Mauler rookie edge rusher Rueben Bain. Those are three first-round picks. If those guys simply stay healthy, the Joe typing here sees massive improvement ahead for the Bucs defense.