A day after Bucs general manager Jason Licht indicated that the team may move on from Jordan Whitehead, the team made a decision regarding the veteran strong safety’s future in Tampa Bay.

According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the Bucs are not picking up the option year on Whitehead’s deal for the 2025 season. Whitehead signed a two-year contract worth $9 million last year, but the deal did not include any guaranteed money for the 2025 season. The Bucs can save $4.5 million by parting ways with Whitehead.

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce and Bucs SS Jordan Whitehead – Photo by: USA Today

Whitehead missed six games last year due to injury and had an underwhelming season. He missed four games due to a strained pectoral injury in a Week 12 win at New York, and then the season finale and the Wild Card playoff game against Washington after suffering broken vertebrae in his neck in a car crash in early January.

When asked about Whitehead’s future on Tuesday while addressing the media, Licht said: “We’re evaluating that.“Another serious injury that didn’t happen on the field. We just need to make sure we’re making [the right decision]. Unfortunately in this business it’s making smart business decisions. We’re still evaluating that.”

When on the field in his return to Tampa Bay last year, Whitehead failed to make much of an impact. He posted 79 tackles, but didn’t have any interceptions, sacks, forced fumbles or fumble recoveries, and he only had three pass breakups.

Bucs Tab Tykee Smith To Take Over At Strong Safety For Jordan Whitehead

Bucs FS Antoine Winfield Jr. and NCB Tykee Smith – Photo by: USA Today

Part of the reason why the Bucs are prepared to move on from Jordan Whitehead is because the team has plans to move Tykee Smith from nickelback to strong safety in 2025.

“Yeah, that’s definitely something we’ve talked about,” Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said about Smith. “Going into the spring that’s something we’re going to look at as well. Tykee wants to play safety, so we’re definitely going to be looking to be looking at it. It’s an option for us.”

Tampa Bay drafted Smith in the third round last year out of Georgia and viewed him as a versatile defensive back who could play either safety position or in the slot as a nickelback where he mostly played for the Bulldogs defense. He spent most of his rookie season playing nickel, supplanting Christian Izien, who started all 17 games there in the 2023 season.

“He’s very comfortable for us at nickel,” Bowles said of Smith. “He was our best nickel. Safety obviously stays on the field 100% of the time where the nickel is probably 75% of the time. He wants to be on the field 100% of the time. That doesn’t mean he’s not going to play from the nickel, but he can play more from the base defense. So, we’re going to look at that.”