Sean McVay responds to Vita Vea trade as Pro Bowler’s clear preference emerges amid Rams rumors

Vita Vea wants out.

It was revealed on Monday that the former first round NFL Draft pick had requested a trade from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he has spent all eight years of his pro career.

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This request has come just days before Bucs training camp begins.

According to NFL insider Mike Garafolo, the reason why Vea is requesting a trade is due to failed attempts at a contract extension.

The two-time Pro Bowl nose tackle has featured in 112 games for the Bucs and has recorded 35 sacks, 256 combined tackles, 48 tackles for loss and 79 QB hits in his career.

Losing a player of Vea’s caliber – with him one of the only remaining remnants of the Bucs’ Super Bowl LV win in 2020 – would be a huge blow to head coach Todd Bowles.

This is as he’s been one of their defensive stalwarts, and is somebody who Bowles has often built his defense around when serving as the defensive coordinator before assuming head coach responsibilities.

As it pertains to a possible trade, teams around the league will be aware that Vea holds a $22 million cap hit, per Spotrac.

In the final year of his four-year, $71 million contract, the 31-year-old is also set to earn a base salary of $17 million for 2026.

He would provide tremendous value to any team around the league, though he would likely seek a move to a genuine Super Bowl contender – a team perhaps like the Los Angeles Rams.

Rams could be a legitimate option for Vea

With an MVP-winning quarterback in Matthew Stafford, and a receiving corps of Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, the Rams’ offense was the very best, statistically, in the league last season.

Their defense, on the other hand, wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either, ranking 10th in points allowed (20.4 PTS/G).

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But with Super Bowl LXIII set to take place on their home turf at SoFi Stadium for the first time since the Rams’ last championship win in 2021, Los Angeles saw an opportunity to strike big.

In doing so, they stunned the NFL by acquiring unanimous 2025 Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett from the Cleveland Browns in exchange for Jared Verse and three draft picks.

If they were to pursue Vea as well, this would be a huge statement of intent, and it is something that Rams head coach Sean McVay hasn’t ruled out the possibility of trying to do.

“He’s a stud,” McVay said to Kay Adams on Monday. “He’s a great player we’ve had a problem to game plan against. But we feel good about our group.”

Furthermore, according to The Athletics’ Ted Nguyen: “Vita Vea, who requested a trade, is a native of California and would like to return to the West Coast with a team in California”.

At this moment, the Rams are still awaiting the decision of three-time DPOY Aaron Donald, who is reportedly on the fence about whether to make a comeback after abruptly retiring in 2024 at the age of 32.

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“For those of you guys that do know Aaron, he’s very diligent,” McVay said on Saturday, via ESPN. “Anything that he does, he does all-in. And so he’s going through a very strict, regimented process that was similar to what he did when he played.”

While McVay is still unsure over what Donald’s, now 35, decision will be, but notes that, “If he feels good, then you guys know he’s going to be ready to rock.

“We’ll see how his body’s responding to some of the training and the way that he puts himself through the paces to know what it looks and feels like to be ready to take on what the rigors of an NFL season entail.

“But this is his decision,” McVay added.”He’s earned the right to be able to do it on his terms. And that’s why I think you guys are seeing us take this approach.

“But I did not ever really think this would be something, but I’m not going to sit here and act like I’m not excited about the possibility of it.”