We don’t need to us our imaginations too much to understand blocking — or attempting to block — 6-foot-4, 347-pound Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive lineman Vita Vea isnt much fun.
Exactly how hard it is to block Vea got put into a comical perspective by former Philadelphia Eagles center and 6-time NFL All-Pro Jason Kelce in an appearance on The Ryen Russillo Podcast on Sept. 13.
Russillo and Kelce were discussing his decision to retire after 13 seasons in the NFL when Vea’s name came up.
“(I retired) because of knees that no longer wanted to block guys like Vita Vea,” Kelce said. “And elbows that continually pop and get stuck in certain positions.”
Kelce is likely a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer when he’s eligible to be inducted in 2030. He’s also widely regarded as one of the greatest centers in NFL history. In his first season of retirement, he’s part of ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown pregame crew in 2024.
The weekly podcast Kelce hosts with his brother, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, sold its rights to Amazon’s Wondery for a reported $100 million in Aug. 2024.
Vea Has Been Dominant Nose Tackle for Buccaneers
If anyone can testify to how good Vea has been for the Buccaneers it’s Kelce, who has gone head-to-head with the 2018 first-round pick for the last 6 seasons.
It was the Buccaneers and Vea who ended Kelce’s NFL career in the NFC Wild Card Game following the 2023 season, defeating the Eagles 32-9.
In 2024, the Buccaneers are getting a slimmed down and refocused version of Vea, who The Athletic’s Dan Pompei reported was down to 347 pounds in June while finally confirming he’d been at closer to 367 pounds for some time.
“Vita Vea could be better than ever in 2024,” Pompei wrote. “At 29, the seven-year veteran is entering the sweet spot of his career with a new look after losing a significant amount of weight in the offseason while working out with former teammate Ndamukong Suh. Vea has been listed at 347 (he claims that’s his current weight) but probably weighed closer to 367.”
Vea is also playing for big money. He signed a 4-year, $71 million contract extension in March 2022 and is due to make $16 million (2024), $17 million (2025) and $18 million (2025) the next three seasons.
Injuries, Weight Seem Tied Together for Vea
Vea was selected at No. 12 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Washington after winning Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2017, but injuries have been a constant issue throughout his career.
Through six NFL seasons, Vea has only played in every regular-season game for the Buccaneers just once, in 2019. He also played in 16 out of 17 games in 2021, the only year he was selected to the Pro Bowl. He played in a career-low five games in 2020 but returned for the playoffs and was a key part of the Buccaneers’ run to the Super Bowl.
Vea’s path toward being a healthier version of himself may have been encouraged by his play the last two seasons. He’s had career-highs for sacks the last two seasons, with 6.5 in 2022 and 5.5 in 2023, and had a career-high 43 tackles in 2023 despite missing two games. He also had a career-high 2 forced fumbles in 2023.
