No one can deny the impact inside linebacker Devin White had during his time with the Bucs. After being drafted fifth overall by Tampa Bay in 2019, White hit the ground running and put together an impressive run of play, highlighted by his 2020 season in which he captained the Bucs’ defense that supported quarterback Tom Brady and led to a Super Bowl victory.

He was well on his way to following Derrick Brooks and being the heir apparent to Lavonte David.

Continuing the elite play the team has had from the position in the 21st century.

But then his play slipped in 2022.

White demanded a trade ahead of the 2023 season. It was a year filled with ups and downs.

Elite play in the season opener, followed by getting injured in Week 3 against the Eagles. The highs and lows ended up being his demise, and speaking on “The Pivot Podcast,” he fully explained how he went from once being one of the league’s top inside linebackers to his exit from Tampa Bay and signing a one-year, $4 million prove-it deal with the Eagles.

“Get Live 45” had plenty to say.

“A Certain Person Didn’t Like That I Wasn’t Ready” Last Season, Says Devin White

In his opening monologue on “The Pivot Podcast,” Eagles inside linebacker Devin White went on to explain that heading into 2023 with the Bucs, he had his best training camp and was gearing up to ball out in his contract year to get paid.

After starting off Week 1 against the Vikings with a total of 12 tackles and playing with more urgency, the hope was that he would get on track. The only problem was that his train derailed in Week 3 Monday night against the Eagles.

“Week 3, we played on Monday night, so I turned around and played the Eagles,” White said. “It’s kind of crazy now that I’m here – and that’s when I hurt myself. I was having a good game, 14-15 plays in I ended up taking on [left tackle] Jordan Mailata on the outside, late rush. [Running back D’Andre] Swift comes over and tries to block me low, foot got stuck in the ground.

“They end up saying, ‘Oh, you got a mid-foot sprain.’ I’m like, ‘Man I’m good,’ mid-foot sprain, that’s something you can shake off, but not really knowing how serious it was. I’m going to try and stay on [the field] as much as I can, and I ended up finishing that whole game. Caught a pick and ran out of bounds, everybody thought it was my hamstring. I didn’t have any hamstring problems. The more I pounded on my foot, the more it hurt.”

This would be an injury that would linger on for eight games before he sat out for games against the Panthers and Falcons. White tried to play through it, but it was clear he was not helping matters – or his chances of a new contract.

“It felt like somebody stabbed me with a knife every time I ran,” White said of playing through the injury. “I got MRIs and stuff, and you see the bone and edema and all that. But me still not knowing, I said, ‘I’ll be good soon, because I need these stats. I need to be All-Pro. I need to be Pro Bowl. Like, I’m on a mission, you know?’ I’d say I really hurt myself more than I helped myself and my team because I couldn’t be the best version of myself.”

Through it all, head coach Todd Bowles defended his inside linebacker publicly to the media and privately, according to White, behind closed doors.

“When I say he was really a father figure, I ain’t just throwing it out there,” White added. “He was like, “Man, I need you, and the only way I can use you and help you, you’ve got to help yourself. If you can’t do it, sit down. So, we decided to sit down.

White sat down, but when a certain person wanted him back, he believed he was rushed. Was White referring to general manager Jason Licht?

“When I started looking good… a certain person wanted me to come back,” White said. “I felt like when I came back, I would’ve [known], and he didn’t like it. He didn’t like that I wasn’t ready on his terms and that’s kind of when it went really downhill. It was already downhill when I asked for the trade… but when I asked for the trade and tried to do what was best for me, that turned everybody against me. Not everybody, but some higher-up people.”

Bowles made some inconsistent remarks after the Green Bay game regarding why White was a healthy scratch, but ultimately, he was benched in favor of K.J. Britt, the presumed starter going into this season. He would not say who was the “certain person,” but by the way he paints the picture, it was not his head coach who seemed to always hold him in high regard – until the very end.

After Leaving The Bucs, Devin White Took Less Money To Join The Eagles
With all of this unfolding after a 2022 season in which his effort was questioned by Bucs Hall of Famer Warren Sapp, it continued a narrative that Devin White believes he was made to be the “bad guy.” According to White, his leadership is something his former Bucs teammates still call him about saying they miss.

“When people want to put a narrative out there about you, they can,” White said. “My guys in Tampa still calling me right now saying they miss me, the locker room isn’t the same. But I was the bad guy. I really just want to go out there and have fun. I was just telling a couple of people the other day, ‘I’m just back in that mode’ to where I don’t care about the business, it’s going to take care of itself because I’m a football player.”

So, with the writing on the wall that his time in Tampa Bay was over, White jumped ship and joined the Eagles. He had bigger deals, but he wanted to put himself back on the map.

“I took less to come here,” White added. “When free agency started, I got some bigger offers from other teams and [my agent] Tory [Dandy] knew I wanted to do a one-year deal because I got to get what I’m worth, at the end of the day. I don’t want it coming off that season last year. I took less because I felt it was a better situation. That lets you know it’s not about the money. It’s never been about the money. It’s about being in the right situation, the right environment, and being able to have fun.”

Having fun, and rebuilding himself in the hopes of landing that landmark deal. He believes it can still happen, and he is eager to go out there and prove it. After flaming out in Tampa Bay after a hot start, time will tell if his passion has been reignited.

“I knew I had to rebuild myself, I had to show the world again, which I don’t mind doing,” White said.