Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Vita Vea has requested a trade if he cannot get a deal done with his team. This has led many fans and media to suggest that the Green Bay Packers trade for Vea. JP Acosta of CBS Sports listed the Packers as one of the few teams that make the most sense.
While they just extended Devonte Wyatt, they are not tied to Karl Brooks or Javon Hargrave beyond this year. The Packers do have the cap space if they wanted to get creative and make a deal happen. The only question is whether the deal will happen.
Green Bay Packers Suggested as Trade Candidate for Defensive Tackle Vita Vea
GettyTampa Bay Buccaneers defensive lineman Vita Vea.
When looking at the depth chart, the Packers have four options to fill out the defensive tackle room, but Vea would instantly be the best option. He is a nose tackle and is clearly the best run defender of the group.
However, what makes him special is how much pass rush presence he brings. Vea has 17 sacks over the past three seasons. Devonte Wyatt is the highest-paid Packers defensive lineman, and he has 14.5 sacks over that same time frame. Karl Brooks has eight sacks over that time, while Javon Hargrave got injured in 2024 and has not been the same since. Hargrave is currently on the Physically Unable to Perform list.
Meanwhile, their fourth option is a third-round rookie. While Chris McClellan has upside, Vea would obviously be the better player in the short term.
If Hargrave remains banged up, or if they wanted to move on from Brooks on the last year of his rookie contract, they could manage to add Vea.
Packers Can Afford to Trade for Vea in 2o26
While the current suggested trade value for Vea is speculative, right now the talk is that a second-round pick and a fifth-round pick could get the job done. Brooks could be valued at about a fifth-round pick, so the Packers could trade a second-round pick and Brooks for Vea.
The team would lose some youth, but they might not plan on extending Brooks beyond this year anyway. This allows the Bucs to avoid losing depth on the defensive line and add a young name that they could extend for much cheaper than Vea.
A second-round pick is a high price for a player who might be a rental. However, Green Bay is in a window where they want to go all-in with Jordan Love and Micah Parsons. That is why the team traded for Parsons. Adding Vea would continue that plan.
The Packers could also offer Vea a short extension and tie him down for this year and potentially the year after. That would allow them to manuever the cap so that they are not pressed after signing him.
Considering the potential for upgrade, the need to make a run, and the ability to financially handle the deal it makes sense why the Packers are a team that is quickly suggested as a fit for Vea.
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