It seems that Devin White cannot leave the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, even though they released him months ago.
White was unceremoniously released this season, which he obviously took personally considering how much time he spent talking about his old team. Despite signing with the Philadelphia Eagles in March, White mentioned the Bucs more than once, each time trying to win a war of words.
At his introductory press conference in Philly, White called the Eagles a “better team overall” than Tampa Bay and later said that his departure from the Bucs was “a breath of fresh air” for him.
White somehow didn’t break his arm from patting himself on the back last season for doing exactly nothing, and now has superhuman strength in his finger from waving it at his old team. While he’s received some positive reviews in Eagles camp, the only thing he seems to be an All-Pro at right now is disparaging the Bucs – something he’s seemingly doing unprompted once again.
During a recent podcast appearance, White mentioned the Buccaneers again in his tireless effort to show the world that it was everyone else’s fault but his own that he lost his job. This time, White claims that by asking for less money to sign in Philly, he wanted to send a message to Tampa Bay.
“I took less because I felt it was a better situation,” White said. “That shows that it’s not about the money. It was never about the money. It’s about being in the right situation, in the right environment. And being able to have fun.”
That’s a bit much for a guy who signed for about $93 million less than he was asked for last season. White demanded a trade after his demand to be paid like a top linebacker in the league was denied, after which he played like one of the worst.
White was benched before a Week 15 game against the Packers and subsequently lost his starting spot to KJ Britt. He doesn’t blame Todd Bowles for that, but he doesn’t take responsibility for it either.
“Everyone liked me at first, but when I asked for the trade and tried to do what was best for me, it turned everyone against me,” White said, seemingly trying to attack Jason Licht. “Not everyone, but some people in higher positions.”
Licht was tough from the start, saying White needed to earn the $100 million contract he wanted, and he was right. White had one of the sluggish and worst seasons of his career, flashing some signs of the All-Pro he once was but being far too inconsistent to help the defense.
White’s attitude reportedly didn’t go over well in the locker room during the team’s 6-1 loss, which apparently didn’t work out for him. Meanwhile, the Bucs showed little qualms about paying players who actually played like top players at their positions. Both Anotine Winfield Jr. and Tristan Wirfs received record-breaking contracts this season.
The same could be true for White, but he has to earn it by having a contract that maxes out at $7 million. If he got a dollar for every time he talked about the Bucs, he’d have no problem getting what he feels he deserves.
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