Vita Vea Is Training With An Old Pal To Extend Career

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By now, Bucs fans are long used to seeing a big Vita Vea holding down the defensive line on gamedays. Vea has been one of the largest, most physically imposing nose tackles in football since entering the league, and he has been highly productive as an apt run stuffer and in getting after the quarterback, notching an impressive 12 sacks over the past two seasons. But for as good as he has been, there have been some growing concerns about his playing weight. Listed at 347 pounds, which is what he weighed in at back at the NFL Scouting Combine in 2018, Vea has been playing roughly 10-20 pounds heavier since then. That takes a toll, especially when considering the grueling position he holds down in the trenches. It was revealed a few weeks ago that he has been working on trimming down and getting lighter in the hopes of lengthening his playing career and avoiding some of the lower-body injuries that have been nagging him in recent seasons. In doing so, that has meant working out with a former teammate to play even better and more often in 2024 and beyond. Bucs GM Jason Licht Discusses Vita Vea’s Dedication To Extending His Career Bucs general manager Jason Licht appeared on Thursday’s Pewter Report Podcast and touched on many different topics, but one of the biggest bits of news was Licht mentioning what Vita Vea said to him in the locker room after Tampa Bay lost, 31-23, to Detroit in the Divisional round of the playoffs. Vea told Licht he would come back lighter and better in 2024. Bucs DT Vita Vea and DL coach Kacy Rodgers – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR After Vea played in 16 games during the 2021 season, he missed three games in 2022 and missed a pair of games last year due to injury. And as co-defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers alluded to back in late April, when he wasn’t inactive, Vea wasn’t as effective for a few games due to being banged up physically. “Vita has to play better,” Rodgers said. “When you are talking about that and just looking at plays he’s leaving out there, Vita is a really strong man when he uses his hands and proper technique he’s hard to stop. That’s the thing. He plays hard and does everything we ask of him. “Just when you go back and look at some plays [you say], ‘You should have made that play. You know that guy should not be blocking you.’ That’s kind of where we need him to take the next step because he does everything, everything else we ask him for.” He is looking to change that and make more plays, and the team recognizes how crucial that is in winning games next year. Bucs DT Vita Vea – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR “I think it’s very important,” Licht said on Thursday. “When we had Tom Brady… all the players got a firsthand look at just how dedicated he was to taking care of his body and how it extended his career. I mean, in historic fashion. Vita last year after the loss in the playoffs in Detroit, as we were leaving the locker room when everybody was – let’s just say not feeling very good – the last game of the season is always tough. Even if it’s the Super Bowl, and I’ve been a part of that, and you lose that. “He grabbed me and said, ‘I’m going to take care of my body, and you’re going to see a new me.’ He had already planned on this, the conversation didn’t go much further because we’re all just kind of packing up and it’s just kind of a surreal moment. Not knowing what the future held for a lot of people at the time, you know, a lot of things are going through your head.” One thing that Licht has already seen is that Vea looks the part of someone who is determined to be new and improved. “I did know that he meant that, so we saw him a couple of weeks ago, we’ll see him here in a couple of weeks [at] mandatory mini-camp and he looked fantastic,” Licht said. “I think he’s very dedicated to extending his career and playing at a high level and wanting to take care of his family but also he’s a great teammate and he wants to win here.” Vita Vea Has Been Training With Former Bucs DT Ndamukong Suh Bucs DTs Ndamukong Suh and Vita Vea – Photo by: USA Today At 29 years old, Vita Vea is approaching the age when the wear and tear of each NFL season begins to catch up. That is why he has been training with former Bucs defensive tackle and five-time Pro Bowler Ndamukong Suh over the offseason. Vea and Suh spent three seasons wreaking havoc along the defensive line, which included Tampa Bay’s 2020 Super Bowl-winning season. That year, Suh played all 16 games at age 33 and remained highly productive. Throughout his career, he had iron-man-like durability, missing just two games between 2010-2021 – and that was due to suspensions and not injury. Jason Licht sees a lot of value in Vea working with someone who had a long, prosperous career and kept playing at a high level into his early 30s. “Well, he’s been training with [Ndamukong] Suh,” Licht said. “Suh has taken him under his wing and Ndamukong is a phenomenal person and if anyone knows how to take care of themselves it’s Ndamukong. Those two are very, very close and so he’s been helping him out, which is awesome.” Time will tell about what Vita Vea looks like as the summer progresses, but by all indications, the Bucs are excited to see him out there and contributing at a high-level next season and working to extend his career for the years that follow. Watch Bucs GM Jason Licht On The Pewter Report Podcast To check out everything that Bucs general manager Jason Licht had to say on Thursday’s Pewter Report Podcast, be sure to check it out by clicking the link below.
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