Outside of Bucs head coach Todd Bowles, no individual in the Bucs roster could have been impacted more than inside linebacker Lavonte David over fellow linebacker Devin White’s offseason trade request due to his frustration with his contract. Since White was drafted, David has taken White under his wing as a mentor, friend and team captain.

David and White have built a special bond over the last four years, formulating a dynamic duo at inside linebacker. David hit free agency but came back home to Tampa, albeit with a pay cut. Not long after, White requested a trade due to his unhappiness with the team’s insistence on him playing on his fifth-year option. White wanted a contract extension this offseason worth between $18-$20 million per year. Instead he’ll have to settle for making $11.706 million.

Although White has showed up to mandatory mini-camp to avoid getting fined, he isn’t practicing.

Lavonte David Discusses Devin White’s Contract Drama

Lavonte David, who is currently the longest-tenured Buccaneer and oldest player on the roster, has participated in both mini-camp practices. On Wednesday, David discussed how he felt about Devin White’s contract situation and how the younger linebacker handled it this offseason.

“His emotions got the best of him,” David said. “I know Devin wants to be here, he wants to play here. His emotions got the best of him. He’s here ready to work. He’s not ready to go right now, but he’s getting himself ready for training camp. I talked to him throughout the whole process whenever that stuff was going on with him. I know the type of person Devin is. I know he’s ready to get back out there and play football and be able to help us win.”

Lavonte David Gave Devin White Some Advice

Bucs ILB Devin White – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

At times, Devin White can let those emotions leak publicly. Whether that was his trade request or Instagram posts with cryptic messages or even commenting on a Philadelphia Eagles photo, those actions added more fuel to the fire this offseason. David has given advice White on how to better handle everything in the future.

“Like I said, don’t let your emotions get the best of you,” David said. “Sometimes that can backfire against you. People can use that against you. Everybody knows you’re not that type of person. You’re a very passionate person – not a very emotional person. Show your passion. Show that you love the game – that you want to be here for the city of Tampa, for the organization of Tampa and you love playing football with your teammates.

“He’s a captain, he’s a leader. A lot of guys look up to him. As a young football player when he came into this game as the fifth overall pick he made an immediate impact for us. We definitely need him out there. He knows that. Devin, he’s growing into a leader himself. For me to be here and watch him grow and watch him improve year to year, its definitely great to see.”

David has been through frustrating contract negotiations before and can understand where White is coming from. He just went through that himself this offseason, and it didn’t exactly go his way, as he had to re-sign for less than he made a year ago. The back and forth, the agreements and the disagreements just come with the territory.

“That’s definitely part of the process,” David said. “That’s something I did talk to him about. Sometimes you may feel disrespected but can’t let that get to you. All you can do is control what you can control, and that’s go out there and put the best tape out there on the field and let everything take care of itself.”

Bucs ILBs Lavonte David and Devin White – Photo by: USA Today

Lavonte David Is Still Looking Out For Devin White

While he wasn’t able to get in Devin White’s head before he requested the trade, Lavonte David spoke to him after it all went down and shared some of the discussions the two linebackers had with the media. David has the best intentions for White and he expressed that to him.

“I don’t know what went on with all that – whatever,” David said. “I just hollered at him after the fact. I didn’t talk to him about everything. I just talked to him (about) what can happen after that. Just told him how we feel about him, how I feel about him, him and his business side, they take care of what they take care of. Me, as a friend and as a teammate – I just try to control and handle that part of it.