Even though Tampa Bay Buccaneers star linebacker Devin White has requested a trade from the team, general manager Jason Licht said on Thursday that he has “no intention” of doing that.
White reportedly requested a trade earlier this week after being fed up with team because he has not yet been given a new long-term contract extension. He is set to play out the fifth-year option on his rookie contract and has wanted a new long-term deal ahead of the coming season.
No deal has been struck yet, though, and Licht seems to be in no hurry to trade away one of his most important defensive players.
“We all have all the respect in the world for Devin,” Licht said, via ESPN. “He’s done some great things for us and we look forward to more from him in the future. If he has the type of year we think he’s capable of, we can hopefully put this to rest and everybody’s happy.
“This isn’t something I’m holding against Devin. I still feel he’s a tremendous person. I would never say he’s not the type of teammate we want because of this.”
White was a No. 5 overall pick by the Buccaneers back in the spring of 2019 and has been a star in the middle of their defense since the beginning of his pro career. He played a significant role in Tampa Bay’s 2020 championship run and has been named a second-team All-Pro, as well as a Pro Bowler.
White reportedly wants a deal, via ESPN, in the $18 to $20 million per-year range and could probably find that kind of money on the open market as an unrestricted free agent next spring.
Given the Buccaneers’ apparent desire to keep White, it seems reasonable to conclude there might still be room to get something done contract-wise. Just because a player requests a trade does not mean that request is permanent. All it takes is one phone call and one offer to make all of that go away.
