Vita Vea's contract impasse could quietly fix Jaguars' biggest roster hole

With general manager James Gladstone leading the front office, the Jacksonville Jaguars have shown that they aren't afraid to trade for players looking for a new deal. Just last year, they acquired wide receiver Jakobi Meyers from the Las Vegas Raiders in return for a couple of Day 3 picks. With training camp underway, they should consider taking a swing to address one of their few roster question marks.

Pro Bowl defensive tackle Vita Vea is entering a contract year and previously made it clear that he wanted an extension. Contract talks with the Buccaneers reached a stalemate, and he's requested a trade.

It's possible that Vea may be just trying to get leverage in an effort to get a new deal, but if things turn ugly, the Bucs may have no choice but to fulfill his request.

The Jaguars should monitor Vita Vea's contract impasse with the Buccaneers

Vita Vea said that he wouldn't have contract talks during training camp, and the dearth of urgency to get a deal done may have pushed him to ask for a trade. His request could be a wake-up call for the Buccaneers to give him a new deal, but if they don't meet his salary demands, they may be better off moving him now and getting some kind of compensation in return for him rather than letting him walk in free agency next year and get nothing.

You can't blame Vea for wanting a new deal. He's set to make $17 million next season. While that's far from chump change, his salary is the 19th highest among defensive tackles in the NFL. However you look at it, the 2018 first-round pick is vastly underpaid.

Vea and Dexter Lawrence are the only defensive tackles who have posted at least 50 pressures over the last three combined seasons. Lawrence was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals earlier this year and got a one-year, $28 million deal not long after. His Tampa Bay Buccaneers could be looking for an extension that pays him a similar amount per year.

Speaking of Lawrence, the Jaguars may want to look at the price Cincy paid to land him.

Why it would make sense for the Jaguars to trade for Vita Vea?

Vita Vea would suddenly fix the Jaguars' biggest roster void. Defensive tackle isn't necessarily a weakness, but it's definitely a question mark, with the trio of Arik Armstead, DaVon Hamilton and Ruke Orhorhoro to come through.

Vea would give the Jacksonville interior defensive line a massive boost right off the bat and turn the unit into a potential strength. The downside is that acquiring him wouldn't come cheap. The Jags could need to part ways with a first-round selection and maybe a third or fourth-rounder. On top of that, they would need to give the former Washington Huskey a new deal. However you look at it, that's a steep price. Then again, it would be worth it.

Of course, trading for Vea might make it more challenging to extend wide receiver Parker Washington or other extension candidates such as safety Antonio Johnson, so the team's brass would have to weigh the pros and cons.

The truth is that Vita Vea could be the last piece of the puzzle the Jaguars need to make a deep playoff push. It wouldn't hurt to give the Buccaneers a call and see what it would take to get a deal done.

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