Was drafting inside linebacker Devin White with a first-round pick in 2019 a mistake by the Bucs?

Despite the fact that Tampa Bay won Super Bowl LV – thanks in part to White’s super postseason in 2020 – general manager Jason Licht essentially said yes.

“Knowing what I know now, he would have been off my board,” Licht recently told The Athletic’s Dan Pompei when asked about Tampa Bay drafting White. “It was too much about him.”

Licht is famous for being candid about personnel decisions, and for not hanging on to mistakes from the draft or free agency. The fact that the Bucs G.M. said that a player who helped the Bucs win Super Bowl LV with some splash plays in his second season in Tampa Bay would have been off his draft board now is somewhat stunning.

In hindsight, winning the Lombardi Trophy turned out to be a fantastic consolation prize for having to put up with White’s change in demeanor – and sinking level of play – afterwards.

The silver lining of drafting White – outside of the franchise’s second-ever Super Bowl win – is that it proved to be a pivotal lesson learned for Licht. He knows now that it is better to draft and sign team-oriented players who are focused on winning, rather than supremely talented, athletic players who are focused on themselves and money.

Former Bucs head coach Bruce Arians, former LB Devin White and GM Jason Licht – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Truth be told, White has always been about himself and money.

The first clue was after his pro day at LSU when he spoke in third person about himself and stated his intentions about the NFL.

“People know ‘Devin isn’t going to be on the board long, and we’re not going to find another Devin 10 years from now. He’s rare,’” White said, via Roy Lang of the Shreveport Times. “Draft me, because when I hit free agency in five years, the price will go up. I’ll be looking for $100 million then.”

White didn’t talk about helping a franchise turn around with his play at his pro day press conference. He didn’t talk about helping a team win a championship. He talked about seeking a $100 million second contract.

The lesson Licht learned?

When someone tells you who they are – listen.

Devin White’s Mercurial Career With The Bucs

When the Buccaneers drafted LSU linebacker Devin White with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, the team envisioned a generational playmaker. What they got was three years of promise and play-making and two years of disappointment and decline from a player the team had hoped to be a cornerstone of the defense for a decade.

Rookie Surge – 2019

From his first game in red and pewter, White announced his arrival. By December, he became the first rookie in Bucs history to record an interception, a fumble recovery, and a defensive touchdown in a single game.

White won NFC Defensive Rookie of the Month honors in November and December, which was a first in franchise history. In 13 games, White recorded 91 tackles, four tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, including two for touchdowns, and an interception.

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

Breakout And Super Bowl Glory – 2020

White’s second season was a breakout. He led the Bucs with 140 tackles and a career-high nine sacks, second only to Jason Pierre-Paul’s 9.5 sacks. In the playoffs – despite missing the Wild Card game due to COVID – White led Tampa Bay with 38 tackles, two interceptions, and two fumble recoveries.

Following a 15-tackle performance in the NFC Championship Game, White notched 12 tackles in Super Bowl LV and had an interception of Patrick Mahomes in the end zone, helping Tampa Bay keep Kansas City without a touchdown and sealing its first Lombardi Trophy in two decades.

Former Bucs ILB Devin White – Photo by: USA Today

Pro Bowl Peak, But The Decline Begins – 2021-22

In 2021, White translated his playoff intensity into a Pro Bowl berth, tallying 128 combined tackles, 3.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery, and helping the Bucs win a franchise-record 13 games. At times, White looked as if he could be a perennial Pro Bowler, but he also began to have an overinflated opinion of himself.

In 2022, White won NFC Defensive Player of the Week and Month honors, but was also caught loafing in some games, especially the loss to Baltimore on Thursday Night Football. White’s effort waned in 2022, yet he posted 124 tackles, 5.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.

The Downward Spiral – 2023

In the 2022 offseason, White was entering the final year of his rookie deal, with Tampa Bay having already exercised his fifth-year option, which guaranteed him $11.7 million for the 2023 season. Seeking long-term security, White pushed for an extension that would elevate him into the top tier of NFL inside linebackers.

But Tampa Bay stood firm, aiming for him to prove himself worthy of a raise and an extension in his contract year. Frustrated by stalled negotiations, White requested a trade in April 2023. However, the Bucs opted not to move him and forced him to play on his fifth-year option.

That contract dispute triggered a strained relationship. White recorded his worst statistical season with just 83 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and missed three games due to a foot injury while sharing snaps late in the season with backup K.J. Britt. Before kickoff of the team’s win in Green Bay, White learned that he would be rotating with Britt and told head coach Todd Bowles that he didn’t want to play and was inactive for that game.

On The Pivot podcast in August of 2024, White said: “It was already downhill when I asked for the trade… Everybody loved me at first, but when I asked for the trade… that turned everybody against me. Not everybody, but some higher-up people.”

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

White, of course, was referring to general manager Jason Licht, who was ready to move on from the former first-round pick in December of the 2023 season.

As a result, White was not re-signed and the team moved on from him. After a brief stint in Philadelphia, the Eagles cut White before he played a down for the team. He landed in Houston, where he played in seven games with one start, notching only 19 tackles.

Now White is in Las Vegas, hoping for one last shot to revive his once-promising NFL career at age 27 under new general manager John Spytek, who helped draft him in Tampa Bay in 2019. White is currently listed as a starter at strongside linebacker for the Raiders and he notched one tackle in the team’s preseason tie with Seattle last week.

Perhaps White can focus on football in Las Vegas under head coach Pete Carroll and play with the same passion he had for the game earlier in his Tampa Bay days, and finally live up to his vast potential – before it’s too late.