There was plenty to watch for when the Bucs came back together for mandatory mini camp on Tuesday, and whether or not Devin White would be in attendance was bound to be a major storyline.

White showed up for a voluntary team photo shoot on Sunday, taking part in a series of promotional photos and videos to be used by the team, its sponsors and the media at the AdventHealth Training Center in Tampa. The news was first reported by Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. That seemed to signal that the young linebacker would not be holding out of the team’s mandatory mini camp despite his offseason trade request.

Sure enough, when Tampa Bay took the practice fields at the AdventHealth Training Center on Tuesday morning, White was present.

But he was not practicing.

Could this be a sign of a hold-in by White, as Pewter Report reported on Monday? Just showing up in order to avoid any fines, but not practicing to protest having to play on his fifth-year option?

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

White is set to make around $11 million this season, but he was looking for a big-time contract extension instead. He has always said his goal is to be a $100 million linebacker, and it’s clear he feels he’s reached that level. When the Bucs didn’t give in to his contract demands he asked to be traded this offseason.

Tampa Bay declined to trade him and disagree on his value, opting to have him play out the fifth year of his rookie deal before they make a decision. The team has maintained for months it has no plans to trade Devin White.

“No intention,” general manager Jason Licht said in April. “We have all the respect in the world for Devin. He’s done some great things for us as a player, and we look forward to more from him in the future. He’s on our team, we are looking forward to this season, and we’re gearing up for this season with the draft right now and free agency. Looking forward to him being a part of this team. If he has the kind of year we all think he’s capable of, we can hopefully put this to rest, and everybody’s happy.”

Head coach Todd Bowles echoed Licht’s comments a couple of weeks later at the Arians Family Foundation gala.

“We’ve got him for another year like Jason said,” Bowles said. “We discussed it. We’re not trading him, and we’ll go from there. It’s the offseason right now and nothing counts. We expect him to be there when the season starts.”

Devin White Has A Chance To Go Out And Earn It

Bucs HC Bruce Arians and LB Devin White – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Perhaps Devin White really does think he’s already earned a deal worth $100 million. He played a key role in the Bucs winning Super Bowl LV and made a Pro Bowl in 2021. Sure, he’s been known to make mistakes and play out of position all too often, but he has 20.5 sacks, 35 tackles for loss, six forced fumbles, nine fumble recoveries and an interception to his name.

Whether he deserves $100 million — or whether he thinks he deserves it — is moot at this point. The Bucs aren’t ready to give him that type of contract and while they never had any intention of trading him, they were unlikely to find any other team that was ready to give him such a massive contract extension this offseason even if they did shop him around.

So, White’s best bet now is to use that to his advantage and play with a chip on his shoulder. If he puts his head down, works and plays at the highest level he can, he’ll set himself up for the contract he wants. He’s still getting a nice $11.7 million this year, and a big year will help him cash in next spring.

The other route is one that won’t have a fruitful outcome for anyone. If White chooses to sulk and just go through the motions, it’ll hurt the Bucs on the field. But it’ll also hurt his ability to earn a big deal next offseason when he hits free agency.

Going out and earning it in 2023 is what White’s former head coach, Bruce Arians, advised him to do. Speaking at his foundation’s gala, the coach who drafted White in 2019 had a clear message.

“Come on back,” Arians said. “Come on back. Earn your money. It’s there. Go earn it. That’s all you gotta say.”

Well, Devin White came back.

He’s back with the Bucs, and we’ll see when he elects to practice – and earn his money.