The San Francisco 49ers desperately needed help along their defensive front this offseason, which is why they traded for Osa Odighizuwa from the Dallas Cowboys and took Romello Height in the third round of the 2026 NFL draft.
While that’s already a lot of capital spent on those additions, San Francisco appears to be high on the list of preferred landing spots for defensive lineman Vita Vea, who requested a trade on Monday.
According to NFL analyst Ted Nguyen, Vea is looking to go to either a team that plays in California or the Las Vegas Raiders. That puts San Francisco and Las Vegas in the top four along with the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers.
Vea, 31, played at Washington from 2014-17, earning All-Pac-12 honors twice and winning Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took him in the first round (No. 12 overall) of the 2018 NFL draft, and over the last eight years, he’s appeared in 112 games and recorded 256 tackles, 79 quarterback hits, 35 sacks, nine passes defensed, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. He’s made two Pro Bowls and won a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay.
It’s unclear what a package for Vea might look like, but he’s one of the best interior defensive linemen in the league with a $22.19 million cap hit this year. However, at 31 years old, he’s likely closer to the end of his career than the beginning, and he has just one year left on his deal.
It may be worth it for San Francisco to bring him in to keep him away from the Rams.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers among preferred landing spot for Pro Bowler who requested trade
Reporting by Mike Masala, Niners Wire / Niners Wire
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By Mike Masala, Niners Wire | USA TODAY Network
