Buccaneers nose tackle Vita Vea currently is not practicing after requesting a trade from Tampa Bay last month.
And a new report indicates the 49ers are interested in acquiring the two-time Pro Bowl selection, who just so happens to be a Bay Area native from Milpitas.
Before Tampa Bay’s preseason game on Friday, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported the 49ers are one of a few teams who have called the Buccaneers to see if they are willing to trade the 31-year-old. However, he added that “the Buccaneers continue to say internally they are not trading Vita Vea.”
“[Vea] hasn’t been practicing because he is upset with the fact that he’s entering the final year of his deal, set to make around $18 million this upcoming season with the top of the defensive tackle market now at $38 million, and a few other guys that he feels his production is comparable with also getting deals in the $30-plus million range,” Garafolo explained on NFL GameDay Kickoff.
Vea has been one of the NFL’s premier interior defensive linemen since being drafted No. 12 overall by Tampa Bay in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Needless to say, the 347-pound behemoth would provide a significant boost to a 49ers defensive line that currently has plenty of question marks.
After the Buccaneers game Friday — which Vea didn’t play in — Garafolo posted a video of him signing fan signs in support of his holdout.
Whether that’s a good or bad indication for the likelihood of Vea returning to the Bay, the Faithful will have to wait and see.
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