Vita Vea Requests Trade, and the Rams Make Too Much Sense

The Los Angeles Rams have an opportunity to end the NFL season before it begins.

Ahead of training camp, Tampa Bay Buccaneers star defensive tackle Vita Vea requested a trade. According to reports, Vea prefers to be traded to a California-based team or the Las Vegas Raiders.

The 31-year-old is preparing for his ninth NFL season. In 107 starts with Tampa Bay, Vea has 256 career tackles, 35 sacks and 48 tackles for loss. He’d instantly boost whichever defensive line is lucky enough to to trade for him.

And that’s exactly what makes the Rams so intriguing.

Earlier this offseason, Los Angeles pulled off a blockbuster trade with the Cleveland Browns for star pass rusher Myles Garrett. The Rams had to give the Browns Jared Verse, with three future draft picks as well.

But adding Garrett to an already stacked roster has the Rams as betting favorites to win the Super Bowl this upcoming season. After adding Garrett, rumors have continued to circulate about the possibility of future Hall of Fame defensive tackle Aaron Donald coming out of retirement.

Adding Vea into this mix would push all of the chips into the middle of the table in classic Rams fashion. Of course, they’d need to figure out the salary cap – and Puka Nacua’s long-term future could come into question.

But in an improved NFC, it’ll be interesting to see if the Rams get involved, or if the Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers or San Francisco 49ers decide to make a play.

On prediction markets like Kalshi that allow users to buy and sell contracts of real-world outcomes, the Rams have a 25% chance of trading for Vea. As of Tuesday afternoon, the Raiders have the highest chance of trading for him at 45%.

Of course, Tampa Bay isn’t required to trade him away just because he requested a trade. Garrett requested a trade last offseason, received a new contract extension, broke the NFL’s single-season sack record, and then was traded to the Rams for a king’s ransom. There’s nothing that says Tampa Bay is required to trade Vea, and they could opt to keep him to try and win games in a very interesting NFC South. Kalshi gives Tampa Bay a 40% chance of being Vea’s next team.

This market closes on December 1, meaning that Vea would need to be moved by then for any “yes” contracts to be paid out.

Vea is a talented, rare player that raises the ceiling and floor of any defense that he’s on. He’s already won a Super Bowl in Tampa Bay, and the Rams would certainly give him another opportunity to get one more.