NFL Trade Rumor: Drake Maye’s New England Patriots and Justin Herbert’s Los Angeles Chargers could eye $62M Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle | NFL News
Vita Vea requested a trade after failed attempts at a new contract extension with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.As soon as this news hit cyberspace, the 31-year-old Washington alum was quickly pitched for NFL teams needing a defensive piece.One of them is the Drake Maye-led New England Patriots.An interesting take was put forth by Athlon Sports’ Hector Longo. He went back in time when the Patriots had a Super Bowl-rich defensive front.He compared Vita Vea and current Patriots players to those who won Super Bowls in the early 2000s. Let’s find out more about it.
Buccaneers tackle Vita Vea could benefit Patriots’ current roster
Back in 2003 and 2004, the New England Patriots had Hall of Famer Richard Seymour and Ty Warren over the tackles.And Ted Washington, Keith Traylor, and Vince Wilfork in the middle. They formed a unit that was way too good to be true in Patriots history.They won a pair of Super Bowls and had a 21-game winning streak that spanned seasons.Three-time Super Bowl champion Mike Vrabel, who is the current head coach of the Patriots, was a linebacker back then. The coach saw all the magic happen before his eyes.Athlon Sports’ Hector Longo further said that second-year Milton Williams is a modern-day version of Richard Seymour.Someone who could collapse pockets and alter things at the line of scrimmage like only a few ever have.Christian Barmore is strong competition for Ty Warren. He is steady, stout, and reliable.And Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ tackle Vita Vea is in the same conversation as the trio from 2003-2004. He could command double teams and dominate first and second downs.
Vita Vea is perfect for New England
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Drake Maye’s team, the New England Patriots, are a trade fit for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Vita Vea for two reasons.One, because of their 3-4 defensive scheme; two, they have nearly $35 million remaining for 2026.Beyond these two reasons, the Patriots need edge-rusher help. At the moment, there are no options.So, the best thing that they could do is add Vita Vea to pair with Milton Williams.At the moment, their roster is better than it was in 2025 when they made it to the Super Bowl LX as AFC representatives.Adding another high-quality defensive piece would just mean more oomph to the flair factor.
Los Angeles could add Tampa Bay tackle
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Justin Herbert’s Los Angeles Chargers could trade for Buccaneers nose tackle Vita Vea for two reasons.One, their starting nose tackle, Dalvin Tomlinson, is capable but not as good a disruptor as Vita Vea.And two, they have more than $40 million in cap space.Also, pairing Vita Vea and Teair Tart as their 3-4 defensive front along with Tuli Tuipulotu and Khalil Mack rushing off the edge and Derwin James Jr. patrolling the secondary, this could become a winning formula for the new defensive coordinator Chris O’Leary.Chris O’Leary replaced Jesse Minter with the Los Angeles Chargers. Jesse Minter is now the head coach for the Baltimore Ravens.
Vita Vea trade rumors
| Category | Details |
| Player Name | Vita Vea |
| Current Franchise | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| Landing Spots | Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Chargers, Green Bay Packers, and New York Giants |
| Contract Status | 2026 is the last year of his 2021 contract |
| Contract Value | He signed a four-year, $71 million contract, including a $4 million signing bonus, $33 million in guaranteed money, with an average annual income of $17 million |
| Cap Hit and Dead Cap Value | In 2026, he is scheduled to earn a $17 million base salary while carrying a $22 million cap hit and a $6 million dead cap value |
| Years Left On The Contract | UFA [unrestricted free agent] in 2027, one year left. |
| Spotrac’s Calculated Market Value | Two-year, $62 million contract with an average annual salary of $31 million. |
