The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have some buzz surrounding them going into training camp. Unfortunately, it isn’t exactly good news for the team. Star nose tackle Vita Vea requested a trade earlier this week and now every fan base in the NFL is talking about it.
The 31 year old is entering the last year of his contract. He has been looking for an extension with the Bucs. However, they have been hesitant to give it due to his age and now he wants to be traded to a team that will.
One team in particular that has been linked to a potential Vea trade has been the Las Vegas Raiders. It was reported yesterday by Mitchell Renz of ChatSports that the Raiders have made a trade offer to acquire Vea. The specifics of this offer are not known at this time, but he reports that the offer has been made.
So, with this news it led me to wonder what a potential trade with the Raiders could look like. After looking at the roster, there could be a pathway to a potential deal. Here’s what a potential trade package could look like between the Buccaneers and Raiders for Vita Vea.
First Off
Let’s acknowledge that the Bucs don’t really want to trade Vea. He is a critical part of their defense and if they have aspirations of winning their division and making a Super Bowl run then the odds of that happening go down without their star defensive tackle. Just because Vea wants a trade doesn’t mean the Bucs have to trade him.
The only way that I see general manager Jason Licht even considering moving Vea is if some team is willing to make a pretty significant overpay. Some believe that a fair offer would be a day two pick in the coming NFL draft. So to motivate the Bucs to actually move a player they don’t want to move, I believe it will take at least a first round pick.
That seems fairly unlikely from a Raiders perspective. It’s not a great roster overall, so trading a first round pick for an older nose tackle on an expiring contract feels like bad team building. A second round pick (say approximately the 40th overall pick) would probably be as high as they’d be willing to go.
Would the Bucs trade the foundation of their defense for a second round pick? I doubt it. Keep in mind that this team is favored to win the NFC South and go to the playoffs this year. It’s also worth noting that head coach Todd Bowles enters the year on a perceived hot seat and needs to be successful this year.
Pick And A Player
So if the Raiders would be willing to only go as high as a second round pick, then they would have to attach a player to sweeten the deal. A young player that can contribute right away would be ideal. After all if you are trading away an established star then you want a young and controllable asset back in return in most cases.
Unfortunately, the Raiders don’t have many of those. The young core they want to build around is tight end Brock Bowers, running back Ashton Jeanty and rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Obviously the Bucs would have interest in these players, but the Raiders would likely have no interest in trading them
After that, there isn’t a lot I’d be interested in. However, there are two that stand out as interesting. Both are on rookie deals and would improve the depth of positions that need good young talent.
Potential Targets
The first player is guard Jackson Powers-Johnson. The Buccaneers had an opportunity to draft him in 2024, but opted to go with Graham Barton as their center of the future instead. If they could now add Powers-Johnson as part of their depth and a potential future replacement for Ben Bredeson next year then that would feel like good value back in return.
The other player I’d be interested in is rookie cornerback Jermod McCoy. Most draft analysts agreed that he was a first round talent despite missing all of last season due to injury. Unfortunately, he fell to the fourth round in the draft due to injury concerns. If the Bucs are comfortable with his medicals, this would be a great chance to buy low on a potential star cornerback.
This is the type of package I believe the Raiders would have to make for the Buccaneers to consider the offer. There is no reason for the Bucs to trade such an important piece in a potential Super Bowl year. It would take an offer they really couldn’t refuse to be willing to play ball.
For more from J.T. click here, then make sure to follow him on Twitter.
Follow, Like and Subscribe to Bucs Report
BucsReport.com
For more on this and everything Buccaneers check back here hourly at BucsReport.com.
