It seems that Devin White can't quit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, even if they quit him months ago.
White was unceremoniously jettisoned this offseason, something he has clearly taken personally given the amount of time he's devoted to talking about his old team. Despite signing with the Philadelphia Eagles back in March, White has mentioned the Bucs on more than one occasion and each time used to try and win a war of words.
During his introductory press conference in Philly, White called the Ealges a 'better all-around team' that Tampa Bay and later saying that leaving the Bucs was a 'breath of fresh air'.
White has somehow not broken his arm patting himself on the back for doing exactly nothing last season, and now has super human strength in his finger from wagging it at his old team. While he's been getting some positive reviews at Eagles camp, it seems the only thing he's an All-Pro at right now is bashing the Bucs -- something he's once again doing seemingly unprompted.
Devin White takes a shot at Buccaneers: "Ain't about the money"
On a recent podcast appearance, White once again brought up the Buccaneers in his undying effort to let the world know that it was everyone else's fault but his own that he wound up out of a job. This time around White is claiming that by taking less money to sign in Philly he was sending a message back to Tampa Bay.
“I took less, because I felt it was a better situation,” White said. “That lets you know it ain’t about the money. It ain’t ever been about the money. It’s about being in the right situation, the right environment. and being able to have fun.”
That's a bit rich coming from a guy who signed for roughly $93 million less than what he asked for last offseason. White requested a trade after his demands to be paid like a top linebacker in the league were rejected, something he followed up with by playing like one of the worst.
White was benched before a Week 15 game against the Packers and subsequently lost his starting job to K.J. Britt. It's not something he blames Todd Bowles for, but it also isn't something he's taking any accountability for, either.
"Everybody loved me at first, but when I asked for the trade and tried to do what was best for me, that turned everybody against me," White said, seemingly taking a shot at Jason Licht. "Not everybody, but some higher-up people.”
Licht stood firm from the start, saying that White needed to earn the $100 million contract he wanted, something he was proven right for doing. White had one of the laziest and worst seasons of his career, showing some flashes of the All-Pro he used to be but being far too inconsistent to help the defense.
White's attitude reportedly rubbed the locker room the wrong way during the team's 1-6 slump, something that seemingly did him no favors. Meanwhile, the Bucs showed little hesitancy to pay guys who actually performed like top players at their position, with both Anotine Winfield Jr. and Tristan Wirfs getting record-breaking deals this offseason.
The same could still be true for White, but he'll have to earn it on a contract that maxes out at $7 million first. If he had a dollar for everytime he talked about the Bucs, though, he'd had no problem getting paid what he thinks he's owed.
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