Tevita Tuliakiono Tuipulotu Mosese Vahae Fehoko Faletau "Vita" Vea (born February 5, 1995) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

nose tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...

for the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Washington Huskies The Washington Huskies are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Washington, located in Seattle. The school competes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) N ...

and was selected by the Buccaneers in the first round of the

2018 NFL draft The 2018 NFL draft was the 83rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2018 NFL season. The draft was held on April 26–28 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington southwest of Dallas; it was ...

. Vea won

Super Bowl LV Super Bowl LV was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2020 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the American Football Conferen ...

with the team over the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

, and was selected to his first Pro Bowl the following year.

College career

As a junior in 2017, Vea was the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and won the Morris Trophy. On January 2, 2018, he declared his intention to enter the

Professional career

Pre-draft

Vea participated in the 2018

NFL Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foot ...

, but did not complete all drills due to a hamstring injury.

2018 season

Vea was selected by the

in the first round with the 12th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Vea strained his calf during

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events ...

, causing him to miss the entire preseason as well as the first three games of the regular season. Vea recorded his first career sack in Week 10, during a 16–3 loss to the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

. He finished his rookie year with 28 tackles and three sacks.

2019 season

In Week 12, during a 35–22 win against the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

, Vea recorded a sack, a career-best two pass deflections, and caught a one-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jameis Winston. As a result, Vea became the first defensive player since J. J. Watt in 2014 to record a sack and catch a touchdown in the same game, the ninth player in NFL history to accomplish both in the same game, and the heaviest player in NFL history to catch a touchdown at 347 pounds. Overall, he started all 16 games and recorded 35 total tackles, 12 quarterback hits, and three passes defensed.

2020 season

During ''Thursday Night Football'' against the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

in Week 5, Vea suffered fractures to his right leg and ankle after making a tackle on running back David Montgomery. Prior to the injury, Vea recorded one sack on

Nick Foles Nicholas Edward Foles (born January 20, 1989) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. A member of six teams, he achieved his greatest success wi ...

during the 20–19 loss. Vea was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

on October 13, 2020. Vea was placed on the reserve/

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

list by the team on November 28, 2020, and moved back to injured reserve on December 5. Vea was activated from injured reserve on January 22, 2021. In

, Vea recorded one tackle during the Buccaneers' win over the

2021 season

On April 26, 2021, the Buccaneers picked up Vea's fifth-year option, guaranteeing Vea $7.6 million for the 2022 season. In the Week 11 loss to the

Washington Football Team The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

, Vea suffered a knee injury in the fourth quarter and was carted off the field. On January 8, 2022, Vea signed a four-year, $73 million extension with the Buccaneers. As a result of the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

advancing to

Super Bowl LVI Super Bowl LVI was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2021 NFL season, 2021 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion 2021 Los Angeles Rams season, Los Angeles ...

, Vea was selected to his first career Pro Bowl as an alternate for defensive tackle Aaron Donald.

2022 season

In the 2022 season, Vea appeared in and started 14 games. He finished with 6.5 sacks, 31 total tackles (15 solo), one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.

2023 season

In the 2023 season, Vea appeared in and started 15 games. He finished with 5.5 sacks, 43 total tackles (28 solo) and two forced fumbles. He also served as a team captain in this season.

2024 season

BucsNation, a site run by

SBNation ''SB Nation'' (an abbreviation for their full name ''SportsBlogs Nation'') is a sports blogging network owned by Vox Media. It was co-founded by Tyler Blezinski, Markos Moulitsas, and Jerome Armstrong in 2003. The blog from which the networ ...

, noted that Vea was "a force" in the 2024 season. As of Week 15, he led the NFC in Pro Bowl votes for defensive tackles. Up to that time, he notably contributed to his team a career-high nine tackles for loss. His success was also noted by ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

'', with River Wells noting that Vea has been "particularly nasty" alongside fellow defensive tackle Calijah Kancey.

NFL career statistics

Personal life

Vea is the son of Sione and Fipe Vea, from Tonga. Vea himself is of Tongan and

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

ancestry.

References

External links

*
Tampa Bay Buccaneers bioWashington Huskies bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vea, Vita 1995 births Living people American football defensive tackles American people of Tongan descent Sportspeople from Milpitas, California Players of American football from Santa Clara County, California Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Washington Huskies football players Pacific Islander American players of American football National Conference Pro Bowl players