All eyes were on Mike Evans and what he'd end up deciding to do in free agency, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had another player they needed to think about replacing. Rachaad White is also a free agent this offseason and Jason Licht moved rather quickly to find his replacement in Kenneth Gainwell.
The Bucs signed Gainwell to a two year, $14 million deal that pairs him with Bucky Irving. It's a pretty great pairing, too, as Gainwell proved to be a key peice of the Steelers offense last year running in tandem with Jaylen Warren and outpacing rookie Kaleb Johnson.
It'll likely be another running back by committee approach in Tampa Bay, but Gainwell affords the Bucs a lot of the same thing Zac Robinson might have looked for out of White but at a cheaper price point.
What this also tells us is that this is officially Bucky's backfield. All signs pointed toward that anyway last year when he assumed RB1 duties over White and the arrival of Gainwell sets up a heiarchy that assumes everything will run through Bucky.
Something else this tells us is that White's time in Tampa Bay has come to an end. It was a conclusion we all saw coming as far back as last offseason when it was assumed that the two sides were essentially getting back together for one more job. Nothing turned out the way anyone wanted, but the idea was less about the Bucs forcing White to stay and more about giving him a chance to shine and earn a nice free agent contract this offseason.
He'll likely do that, and probably with a familar face. While the Chiefs always seemed like a natural fit for White, Kansas City signing Kenneth Walker III put an end to that dream. Instead, there's a spot for him with in Jayden Daniels' offense in Washington that feels like an even softer landing spot.