Is Devin White’s Time With The Bucs Over?

Inside linebacker Devin White leaving in free agency already felt like a forgone conclusion after last season. Pewter Report has been on the record several times that the Bucs’ front office did not want White back regardless of Todd Bowles’ support of him.

And after the comments made Tuesday by general manager Jason Licht and Bowles at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, it felt like it was the final blow that all but sealed the idea that White is going to be on a new team.

It wasn’t so much about what Licht in particular said about Devin White, but more of what he didn’t say. Early on in his conversation with Pewter Report and other local Bucs media at the Combine, Licht said he he’s opened the lines of communication with many of the Bucs’ most important players who are either supposed to hit free agency or are in line for an extension.

Jason Licht Mum On Devin White’s Future

“We’ve started talks with Baker. We’ve started with Mike, Antoine, Tristan, Lavonte. I think they’re going well,” Licht said.

He rattled off a number of players, but noticeably absent was White. One would think that a team captain since 2020 would be at the forefront of names that Licht would rattle off the top of his head – if Tampa Bay was interested in keeping him.

That went even further when Licht was up at the podium speaking to both local and national media. He was asked by Pewter Report’s Josh Queipo about who he thinks is the top position group in free agency, but Licht said he’s more focused on re-signing his own guys. And if he can do so, another parade is coming to Tampa soon.

“We’re focused on signing ours right now,” Licht said. “If we can re-sign Mike and Baker and Lavonte and Chase (McLaughlin) and Antoine and Tristan, I mean, we should be throwing another parade. That’s a pretty good class there.”

Once again, there was no mention of Devin White, even though everyone else he spoke of is also a free agent except for Wirfs.

When asked directly about any lines of communication with Devin White and his camp, Licht didn’t have much to discuss.

“No, we’re still trying to make some decisions on some of those other players,” Licht said. “Devin did some really good things for us throughout his career, but we’re still sorting through some things.”

White didn’t help himself at all last year. He famously requested a trade in the offseason, which the Bucs did not allow. Then his performance declined during the season and White was essentially benched for K.J. Britt, as he was relegated to roles like blitzing on third down. Licht didn’t have much to say on what went on with White’s play during the 2023 season.

“There was a lot of factors with that,” he said. “Might be a good question for Devin. But still did some good things for us.”

It Sounds Like The Bucs Are Going In Another Direction

Bucs ILB Devin White – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Bowles has long been a supporter of Devin White and even became his shield at times during the season. But even at this point, there’s only so much that Bowles can defend about the situation. He spoke to White briefly last week for his birthday, but considering his comment soon after, even he has moved on.

“I texted him happy birthday about a week ago,” Bowles said. “Devin can still play. Devin’s a good football player. We got a lot of guys off of free agency. We can’t feed everybody, we know the money’s got to go somewhere. We’re still making those decisions and by the start of the league year, we’ll see where everything falls.”

White isn’t even the only Bucs’ inside linebacker in free agency and clearly Lavonte David takes top priority. Licht went as far as to say he wants to get Lavonte David on the Bucs’ Mount Rushmore, which may take another season to do so.

It looks like the end of the Devin White era in Tampa Bay. It started out fantastic, but the hype washed away over the past couple of years. Each party will go their separate ways next season.

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