Tampa Bay Buccaneers star linebacker Devin White has reportedly asked for a trade.
The first-round pick has been “increasingly frustrated” with how the organization has functioned and is “fed up,” ESPN reported Tuesday.
The Bucs are a transitioning team after Tom Brady announced his retirement following the 2022 NFL season. But White’s frustrations don’t have a publicly known root cause at the moment.
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Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) is wrapped up by Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Devin White (45) during the regular season game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on November 06, 2022 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Perhaps it’s White’s contract situation, as Tampa Bay exercised his fifth-year option that comes with being a first-round pick. He is currently slated to make $11.706 million for the 2023 season.
But he is also set for free agency after this year, and the 25-year-old may be wanting his extension prior to playing this year.
ESPN added that the Bucs are not willing to trade him.
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The Bucs haven’t been in spending mode this offseason as they are over the NFL salary cap by $55 million. While other teams reached extensions with players and signed new ones via free agency, the Bucs have mainly been cutting bait.
Brady’s $35 million cap hit was off the books without them having to do anything thanks to his retirement (the real one this time). But others like running back Leonard Fournette, left tackle Donovan Smith and tight end Cameron Brate were all cap casualties.
There were also restructured contracts for players like wide receiver Chris Godwin and cornerback Carlton Davis, among others.
White has certainly done his part to garner at least extension conversations, as the fifth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft out of LSU is already a Super Bowl champion and a Pro Bowler.
New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram II is tackled by Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Devin White and safety Mike Edwards during the first half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
The Bucs famously won the Super Bowl the first season Brady touched down in the Sunshine State after an illustrious career with the New England Patriots. White was just a sophomore in the league, but he was a key piece defensively next to Lavonte David in the linebacking corps. He had nine sacks and 140 combined tackles during the 2020 regular season.
But David’s Pro Bowl season came in 2021, when he posted 3.5 sacks, 128 tackles (eight for loss) and one fumble recovery.
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That production, which includes 5.5 sacks and 124 tackles last season, has White among the top linebackers in the league, which is why a contract to remain a cornerstone piece of the Bucs’ defense would make sense.
However, there were some interesting social media posts from White that ESPN pointed out that may have showed his frustrations earlier. In March, he posted Instagram Stories that had the words “thank ya” with a pirate flag and peace sign emoji.
Devin White #45 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers walks to the locker room after an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints at Raymond James Stadium on December 5, 2022 in Tampa, Florida. (Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
White later said he was reflecting on his four years in the NFL – one of the Instagram Stories said “4 year[s] went by fast” as well – and that he was thanking Bucs fans for support.
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Whether his mind was made up then makes no difference, as it seems clear White is ready to move on from Tampa Bay.
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