TAMPA, Fla. — With the NFL draft approaching in only 16 days, linebacker Devin White reportedly is making noise again about wanting to be traded from the Bucs.
The issue first surfaced at the beginning of March when White made some cryptic posts on his Instagram account that appeared to indicate he had played his last game in Tampa Bay.
The first post featured a photo of White putting on cleats in the Bucs locker room, along with the words “Thank ya,” and pirate flag and peace emojis. The next included an action shot of White playing during a game with a caption that read, “4 year went by fast.”
Finally, White posted a photo of a white sign that read, “God isn’t asking you to figure it out. He’s asking you to trust he already has.” Under the photo was the caption, “Next Stop,” and a checkered flag emoji.
White quickly backed down with a Twitter post indicating he is looking forward to playing with the team in 2023.
“Next year we gone rock out even harder,” he tweeted at the time, “I promise you,” followed by the hashtags GETLIVE45 and GEAUXBUCS, as well as emojis of a face with a cowboy hat and a pirate flag.
But on Tuesday, reports surfaced from ESPN and NFL Network saying that White indeed had requested a trade from the Bucs.
As was the case in March, the Tampa Bay Times confirmed again Tuesday that the Bucs have zero intention of trading their Pro Bowl inside linebacker.
White, 25, has one year left on his rookie contract. The Bucs picked up his fifth-year option that will pay him $11.706 million in 2023, and he is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after this season.
The No. 5 overall pick in the 2019 draft by the Bucs out of LSU, White is looking at an enormous payday after the 2023 season. In fact, Spotrac puts White’s market value at $20.1 million per year. A five-year, $100.5 million contract extension would eclipse the one earned by the Ravens’ Roquan Smith, the highest-paid inside linebacker in the NFL at $100 million over five years.
White had another strong season in 2022, producing 124 tackles, 5 1/2 sacks, eight tackles for loss and 16 quarterback hits. However, he was scrutinized for loafing on a play during a 27-22 loss to the Ravens on Oct. 27 before finishing the season strong.
Bucs head coach Todd Bowles has been one of White’s biggest cheerleaders.
“Devin takes a lot of heat for so many things,” Bowles said at the NFL scouting combine in March. “Everybody talks about missed tackles, but he makes tackles that I haven’t seen linebackers make in 30 years. He can make plays for us. He’s still one of our best two players on defense.”
The Bucs have been engaged in ongoing conversations with White’s agents about reaching a long-term agreement with what is arguably their best player on defense.
With the draft commencing on April 27, it appears to be a negotiating tactic to see if any team may want to offer a high pick to the Bucs for White.
But those efforts have come from White’s camp, which is likely why the trade request resurfaced on Tuesday.
The Bucs re-signed inside linebacker Lavonte David to a one-year, $7 million contract in March. The plan is to pair him again with White to give the team one of the best tandem of inside linebackers in the league.
Unless the Bucs have a drastic change of heart or a team blows them away with an offer they can’t refuse, White’s only options will be to sit out the season or return for a fifth year.
