As is usually the case, this commerce request stems from frustration with contract talks. Negotiations haven’t gained traction, in response to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter). White, 25, shouldn’t be eligible totally free company till 2024, because of the Bucs exercising his fifth-year choice in Could 2023. And the off-ball linebacker market has seen some notable developments this 12 months.
Two groups — the Ravens and Bears — approved top-five contracts on the place in 2023. Following a fall commerce, Roquan Smith secured a $20M-per-year take care of Baltimore to set the market on the place. Within the early hours of this 12 months’s authorized tampering interval, Tremaine Edmunds agreed to an $18M-AAV pact with the Bears. That deal sits fourth amongst ILBs. Contemplating C.J. Mosley‘s Jets contract — a $17M-per-year accord that modified the positional market — was finalized in 2019, it’ll seemingly take top-five cash right here for White to signal a second Bucs deal.
A noticeable hole between White’s manufacturing and Professional Soccer Focus grades has been in place for years. Whereas White has typically been thought to be an upper-echelon off-ball ‘backer, PFF has persistently disagreed with that notion. The superior metrics website, whereas steadily score Lavonte David as one of many sport’s greatest, has seen White far off that tier. White has by no means carried a PFF grade north of sixtieth amongst linebackers. Over the previous two seasons, the previous No. 5 total decide has rated exterior the highest 70. The positioning has yearly seen the LSU product’s protection and run-defense talents as missing, with pass-rushing manufacturing (20.5 profession sacks) propping up his grades.
Conventional numbers counsel the sideline-to-sideline playmaker resides among the many sport’s higher linebackers. Throughout Tampa Bay’s Tremendous Bowl LV-winning season, White totaled a career-high 140 tackles and added a staggering 9 sacks and 16 quarterback hits. White has surpassed the 120-tackle plateau in every of the previous two years, not lacking a sport. White added two compelled fumbles final season and completed with eight tackles for loss for the second straight 12 months. This included an emotional efficiency that got here shortly after White’s father died simply earlier than the Bucs’ Germany sport.
The Bucs made White the very best non-rush linebacker draftee in 10 years, drafting him to play in Todd Bowles‘ protection. The match has not all the time been excellent, as accusations of loafing on performs emerged throughout the Bucs’ underwhelming 2022. Bowles defended White and didn’t demote him; White has performed no less than 95% of the Bucs’ defensive performs in every of the previous three seasons. However it’s value questioning how the group views the younger defender by way of a long-term lens.
Tampa Bay re-signed David to a fourth contract and, regardless of being greater than $50M over the cap weeks forward of free company, discovered room to carry again Jamel Dean, who was drafted two rounds after White in 2019. A number of vets from the Bucs’ Tremendous Bowl protection stay on the staff, and the group wanting White again will restrict his choices. The 2020 CBA’s holdout restrictions additional restrict contracted gamers’ choices, as even medium-length camp holdouts threaten to delay a participant’s free company. However this commerce request clearly will make for a extra fascinating offseason for the Bucs.
Adam La Rose contributed to this publish.
