Could Chargers be atop Pro Bowl DT's wishlist after trade request?

Nguyen added that Vea has a no-trade clause; however, he can choose to resign after this year.

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The 31-year-old requested a trade from the Buccaneers after talks on a contract extension have stalled, his agent Collin Roberts told ESPN on Monday. Vea is entering the final year of his four-year, $71 million contract and is set to earn $17 million this season, but none of it is guaranteed.

Vea wants to enter the season with a new contract, and because the two sides haven’t agreed on a deal, the Washington product wants to start fresh elsewhere. Last season with Tampa, Vea appeared in all 17 games and finished with 4.5 sacks, 13 quarterback hits and 34 total tackles.

If the Chargers were to pull the trigger on Vea, it would immediately bolster their interior pass rush. Los Angeles doesn’t desperately need Vea on their roster; however, his potential addition could do wonders for defensive coordinator Chris O’Leary’s group.

Last season, the Chargers struggled to collapse pockets from the inside, finishing last in the NFL with just 41 pressures from interior linemen.

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Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz has been careful about making splashy moves involving big contracts and premium draft picks, and a trade for Vea would likely require both.

The Buccaneers drafted Vea in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft with the 12th overall pick. In his career thus far, he has been named a two-time Pro Bowler and helped lead Tampa Bay to a Super Bowl title in the 2020 season.

This article originally appeared on Chargers Wire: Could Chargers be atop Pro Bowl DT’s wishlist after trade request?