Now that Baker Mayfield poked the bear with Kevin Stefanski, the rivalry between the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers is stronger than ever. And of the other three teams in the NFC South, the only team Falcons fans hate more the Bucs is the New Orleans Saints--but it's a very close call.
The Atlanta faithful have been able to laugh at their rivals to the South all offseason long. First it wasn't firing Todd Bowles, then it was hiring Zac Robinson as their new offensive coordinator, and then it was losing the best weapon in franchise history in Mike Evans in free agency. Just hilarious.
Tampa Bay's incompetence has been swept under the rug for most of the summer, but now it's becoming public with a new trade saga. The Bucs have been engaging in talks of a new extension with star defensive tackle Vita Vea, but those negotiations have done them more harm than good.
Vita Vea requesting a trade is amazing news for the Atlanta Falcons
Ultimately, extension talks were such a failure that the rift between Vea and the team became impossible to ignore--and things just came to a head. The 31-year-old requested a trade from the Bucs yesterday after talks stalled, since he wants to apply pressure on the front office to give him a new deal.
And for Falcons fans, this saga is hilarious. After Devonte Wyatt received a contract extension worth $19 million a year from the Green Bay Packers, it was only a matter of time before the Bucs found themselves in a sticky situation--since Vita Vea covets a deal worth north of $20 million per year. But they waited anyways.
The two-time Pro Bowler did not participate during Bucs' mandatory minicamp and could continue his hold-in during training camp. But given the reports about the Cali native wanting to return to the west coast, Tampa Bay trading him to a team that'll pay him big money on an extension makes sense--and is great news for the Dirty Birds.
Vita Vea's $17.75 million average annual value ranks 19th among all defensive tackles, and if any team trades for him, they will have to immediately sign him to a new contract. He's entering the final year of a four-year, $71 million extension, but the Bucs are far more focused on extending Baker.
The NFC South is plenty wide open, and any disadvantage for a division rival is a blessing for the Falcons. So as long as this trade saga continues to provide the Bucs a distraction and Vita Vea gets traded, Atlanta's chances of breaking their playoff drought and winning the division go up.
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