Larry Foote Discusses Devin White’s Trade Request

The fact of the matter is, Devin White has to earn the right to be a $100 million linebacker. He’s had his moments and has shown plenty of times why the Bucs made him the No. 5 overall pick in the 2019 Draft, but he hasn’t been consistent enough to get a contract that recognizes him as one of the league’s top players at his position.

There were times during the 2022 season when White felt almost unplayable. His performance against the Ravens on Thursday Night Football in Week 8 netted him the most criticism, but he earned sub-50 Pro Football Focus grades in six games last year. He was sub-60 in seven more games, too.

In fairness, he still finished the year with 124 tackles (73 solo), 5.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. But you’d be hard-pressed to look at the tape from last year and justify handing him a contract worth over $100 million.

So, assuming White does return to the AdventHealth Training Center at some point and plays out his fifth-year option with the Bucs, where can he improve? Foote was asked about that on Wednesday as well.

“Everything, just get better. Pre-snap stuff, zone coverage, even blitzing better, attacking the run,” he said. “And obviously, you want to look at any explosive plays that you gave up and we want to minimize that. And just little things, new ideas that we’re putting in. I’m getting him up to scheme, some of the new stuff that we’re implementing.

“Every year, you’ve got to be better than the next year. This league demands it. So far, during his short career, he’s been evolving.”

White has posted 483 tackles (315 solo), 20.5 sacks, 35 tackles for loss, 55 quarterback hits, six forced fumbles, nine fumble recoveries, one interception and 15 passes defensed in 62 games over the first four years of his career. He’s been to a Pro Bowl, and the splash plays have typically been there. But the consistency hasn’t always been there for him, and the key to earning the contract he wants is finding that consistency — and holding onto it.