Inside The Huskies

Vita Vea Becomes the Richest Husky in the NFL

The defensive tackle signs a four-year extension with Tampa Bay worth $73 million.

Dan Raley

Inside the lobby of the University of Washington football offices inside Husky Stadium, a Vita Vea Super Bowl jersey is prominently displayed in a glass case for all current and prospective players to see.

School officials should consider adding a laminated copy of Vea's impressive new contract extension with the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers to go with it.

Widely considered the NFL's top defensive tackle, the four-year veteran on Saturday agreed to a four-year deal worth $73 million, making the 6-foot-4, 347-pound Vea the richest former UW player now in the league.

The UW proudly displays a Vita Vea jersey in the coaching offices.
Dan Raley

In 2020, ex-Husky safety Budda Baker agreed to a four-year, $59 million deal with the Arizona Cardinals.

The year before that, former UW inside linebacker Shaq Thompson signed a four-year, $54 million extension with the Carolina Panthers. 

Collectively, that's $186 million and change. 

Vea, Baker and Thompson all played together for the Huskies in 2014, making for one rich Montlake trio. 

Starting 15 games, Vea has accumulated 31 tackles, including 5 tackles for loss, and 12 quarterback hits.

In his career, the California native has piled up 104 tackles, including 16 TFLs and 11.5 sacks.

This big man is such a good athlete, he's scored a pair of NFL touchdowns on a fumble return and a pass reception. 

Vea, 26, was injured much of the 2020 season with a broken leg, but he was able to return and play in the NFC championship against the Green Bay Packers and in Super Bowl LV, sharing in a 31-9 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in a game held in Tampa. 

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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