Earlier this offseason, Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Devin White posted some cryptic messages on social media indicating he could be playing elsewhere in 2023. White then took to Twitter to say that he was just reflecting on the first four years of his NFL career, but it appears there may have actually been more to the story.
Tuesday, ESPN reported that White has requested a trade from the Buccaneers. The Bucs reportedly do not want to trade White, as they picked up his fifth-year option last offseason, which will pay him $11.7 million in 2023.
White was selected by Tampa Bay with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft out of LSU. He burst onto the scene as a rookie with 91 combined tackles, 2.5 sacks, four fumble recoveries, three forced fumbles and one interception in just 13 games played. In his second season, White was a Second Team All-Pro after notching 140 combined tackles and a career-high nine sacks on the way to a Super Bowl run, and then he made the Pro Bowl in 2021. Last season, White recorded 5.5 sacks and 124 combined tackles.
White may be looking for a new deal as he enters the final year of his contract. Spotrac’s market value tool estimates he’s in line for a four-year, $80,418,000 deal that carries an AAV of $20.1 million. That hypothetical contract would surpass Roquan Smith of the Baltimore Ravens‘ average per year of $20 million, making White the highest-paid inside linebacker in the NFL. If the Buccaneers eventually resign to trading him, here are a few landing spots for the athletic, 25-year-old linebacker.
If White had his way, his next team may be the Philadelphia Eagles. On new Eagles cornerback Greedy Williams‘ Instagram post of him signing with the team back on March 22, White was one of the top commenters saying, “Let’s make it happen.”
Philadelphia has a need at White’s position, with two of its starting linebackers from the 2022 season’s run to the Super Bowl, T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White, departing in free agency. However, it will come down to whether or not general manager Howie Roseman opts to invest in an off-ball linebacker in the same way the Ravens did for Roquan Smith recently. Baltimore traded a second-round pick and a fifth-round pick, as well as linebacker A.J. Klein, to the Bears in exchange for Smith before proceeding to make him the highest-paid player at the position with a five-year, $100 million contract that…
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