Tampa Bay Buccaneers Restructure DT Vita Vea

No team in the NFL has more work to do to get under the 2023 salary cap than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but at least they made one huge step earlier today. According to the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Bucs have restructured the contract of defensive tackle Vita Vea, clearing about $9 million in cap space.

The #Bucs are working to get under the cap, doing a cap conversion with DT Vita Vea to clear about $9M in space, source said.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 10, 2023

Vea signed a four-year, $71 million extension with the Bucs in 2021 and is one of their most beloved leaders, so he was a prime candidate for a restructure. He was one of their few bright spots in an underwhelming 2022 season, tallying career highs with 6.5 sacks and seven tackles for loss. The move assures he isn't going anywhere this offseason.

Even following this move, the Bucs are an NFL-high $40.96 million over the 2023 salary cap, per overthecap. As they attempt to rebuild their team after Tom Brady's retirement, they'll have plenty more restructures and difficult cuts to come. They may be forced to trade or release some big names in the coming days.