Buccaneers DT Vita Vea Earns Extension After Strong Season

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have extended the contract of defensive tackle Vita Vea, the team announced Saturday night.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports the contract is a four-year deal worth $73 million, with $42 million guaranteed.

Tampa Bay has already agreed to pick up Vea's fifth-year option for 2022, so the new deal will kick in the following year and keep him in Tampa Bay through 2026.

"Vita Vea has emerged as one of our league's most disruptive interior defensive linemen due to a unique skillset that combines strength and superior athleticism," general manager Jason Licht said in a statement.

Vea, the 12th-overall pick in the 2018 draft, is nearing the end of his fourth season with the team.

"Vita's abilities as both a premier run stuffer and pass rusher are rare, and his presence on the defensive front has played a major role in our ability to consistently rank among the league leaders in rush defense since his arrival," Licht said. "We look forward to having Vita remain a core piece of our defense for years to come and are excited to continue watching him develop into one of the best nose tackles in the NFL."

This season, Vea has started all 15 games and has 31 tackles, five tackles for loss, three passes defensed and a fumble recovery to go with those sacks.

Follow Meg Turner on Twitter @Megnturner_ and Instagram @Megnturner.

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