Buccaneers have an easy decision when it comes to Devin White
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were able to retain star linebacker and fan-favorite, Lavonte David, this offseason, but they may be on track to lose their other star linebacker in former top-5 draft pick, Devin White. Per ESPN's Jenna Laine, White is "fed up" with the Buccaneers and has requested a trade. The exact cause of […]
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were able to retain star linebacker and fan-favorite, Lavonte David, this offseason, but they may be on track to lose their other star linebacker in former top-5 draft pick, Devin White.
Per ESPN's Jenna Laine, White is "fed up" with the Buccaneers and has requested a trade. The exact cause of White's frustration is currently unknown, but it's a logical and safe assumption that it has something to do with talks surrounding his potential contract extension. White has been very adamant about wanting a $100 million contract and he's currently in the fifth -and last- year of his rookie deal, which is going to pay him more than $11 million in 2023.
Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Buccaneers do not want to trade White.
The former LSU Tiger has been a good player for the Buccaneers, but he hasn't been a $100 million type of player, so it makes sense that Jason Licht and co. would want to wait until 2024 before making that type of commitment. White's play has dropped off since his incredible playoff performances during the Buccaneers' 2020 Super Bowl run, making his second contract a difficult evaluation at this point in time.
However, it doesn't sound like the Pro Bowl linebacker wants to wait, which runs parallel to his playing style.
The problem with White is that while he is incredibly talented, he is also incredibly inconsistent. A lot of this comes is due to the fact that he always plays at 100 miles per hour. While that is a big reason for his production, it's also a big reason why the Buccaneers should be hesitant to extend him pre-2024.
Said aggressiveness often leads to White over-pursuing -or simply missing out on- plays that he should make. It's also a big reason for his struggles in coverage: White doesn't have the patience to let things develop in front of him and instead chooses to force his will on every single snap. And, there are too many lapses in his play like below:
That's not a terrible approach, but one has to be smart when going all-out like that. The game of football is all about speed and processing, but it's also about doing that in an efficient and effective manner. You can be the fastest and smartest guy on the field, but it won't matter if your process is flawed.
White's risky play was fine when he was making splash plays on a regular basis, but those plays have since dwindled over the last couple of years. For instance, White logged zero interceptions, two forced fumbles, 9.0 sacks, 16 QB hits, and zero defensive touchdowns over the last two seasons compared to one, four, 11.5, 19, and two, respectively, over the first two seasons of his career,
And based off what he's said in the past, he doesn't plan on changing his playing style anytime soon.
So, the Buccaneers have an easy decision when it comes to this situation: they wait.
Let the man prove himself that he is in fact the player that warrants his price tag. Sure, the Buccaneers run the risk of White balling out in 2023 and subsequently pricing himself out of Tampa Bay in 2024. And that would be a big blow considering Lavonte David's future is a yearly question at this point. There's certainly a world in which the Bucs could lose both players next year.
However, when considering White's inconsistent production and the direction of the team – he's not worth the financial commitment of a $100+ million contract. He's not going to sit the year out – he is on track to make 5x more in base salary in 2023 than he has over the course of his entire career and sitting out would obviously kill his chances at a big deal in 2024.
And arguably the biggest factor is the Buccaneers are going to be in much, much better position cap-wise to pay White. Who knows, they may be able to match any offer after a big year and this could all be for naught, ultimately.
It'll be interesting to see how things play out, but it already looks like the writing is on the wall when it comes to this final outcome.
