The cost of a Vita Vea extension with the Bucs just went up

In the NFL, it is always advantageous to pay players early when they have shown what they are capable of. In the case of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they have done a good job of retaining talent over the years under general manager Jason Licht.

When he hits on a draft pick, they tend to stick around. However, for once, it may have been slow to get one player extended, and the recent work of another team may now create a new complication in their attempts to extend Vita Vea.

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On Monday, the Green Bay Packers extended defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt by giving him a three-year, $57 million contract extension with a $20 million signing bonus. That will bring his annual salary to an average of $19 million, which puts him just below the likes of Osa Odighizuwa, Kenny Clark, and Zach Seiler.

Did this move set the market value for the Bucs with Vita Vea? Perhaps.

The Bucs have shown no sign that they do not want to have Vita Vea on board for the long haul. What needs to be right is the money, of course, and those waters Licht has always navigated well. However, it now seems that Vea will need to be paid north of $20 million, which would put him in the top 10 for the position.

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Last season, the Dallas Cowboys extended Quinnen Williams with a deal that averages $24 million. At this point, that may be the neighborhood they are working with when it comes to Vea and his contract. In Todd Bowles’ system, or any other, he can be a foundational piece of a defensive line. On top of that, he is a favorite in and out of the locker room with players and fans.

That adds value to him and could be a factor that gets him over the hump and into making a few extra dollars on his next deal.

This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: The cost of a Vita Vea extension with the Bucs just went up