Chicago Bears miss out on 2x Pro Bowl defensive lineman as he agrees to $30 million extension with current team

The Chicago Bears went 11-6 last season and won the NFC North. After advance to the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs, they are expected to be even better in 2026 and, perhaps, make a run for the Super Bowl.

That being said, there are some serious questions surrounding Chicago as training camp progresses, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Their secondary has already been decimated by injury, and almost all of their turnover generators from a year ago are no longer on the team.

What is more, the Bears did next to nothing to improve their pass rush, which ranked among the worst in the NFL last year.

The Chicago Bears inquired about Vita Vea before he signed his extension

Not long ago, it was reported that two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Vita Vea had agreed to a one-year contract extension with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The deal is worth $30 million and gives him $6 million in new money this year.

Prior to this agreement, Vea had requested Tampa Bay to trade him when initial contract extension talks broke down. According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the Bears were one of the teams that had called about him:

The #Bears and #Bills were among the teams with interest in trading for Vita Vea, but the #Bucs never wanted to move him, per sources.

The deal is now done and Vea is under contract in total for 2 years, $54M. https://t.co/KY07p8GYyn

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) August 19, 2026

Of course, there was no guarantee that Chicago was going to be able to land Vea. However, their interest in the two-time Pro Bowler is evidence that they realize that they did not do enough to address the defensive line during the offseason.

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