The Raiders are building for the future, but would they be interested in trading for arguably the best run-stopping defensive tackle in the league?
Vita Vea is entering the final year of his contract in 2026 and has seemingly reached an impasse with the Buccaneers on a new deal.
On Monday, Vea informed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers he wants to be traded and the 31-year-old would like to seek a long-term deal somewhere else.
On paper, Vea would be a good fit for the 3-4 defensive scheme Rob Leonard plans to roll out in Las Vegas, and according to The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen, the Raiders are high on the veteran tackles list of preferred teams.
Nguyen posted on Monday evening that Vea would prefer to be traded to Las Vegas or one of the California teams.
If the Buccaneers are willing to trade Vea, it will be interesting to see their asking price.
Raiders GM John Spytek (and Tom Brady, too) have strong ties to Tampa Bay, and would understand the value of Vea as well as anyone in the league.
It would be a surprise to see the Raiders give up a first round pick for a player entering his ninth season, but a day 2 pick might make sense if Spytek and Brady feel like Vea has a few good years left to a career that might already be Hall of Fame worthy.
x: @raidersbeat
He would make the team exponentially better. Absolutely worth a third round pick and a fourth round pick the following year. I would even be willing to give up Koonce and keep the fourth rounder