Did Richard Sherman Push Jordan Whitehead To The Jets?
September 6th, 2022
Powerbroker?
Sometimes, the two Joes wing empty cans of Bromosa at each other while disagreeing on Bucs topics. This is sort of one.
One Joe thought last year’s signing of Richard Sherman was savvy. No, Sherman was not the same guy with the 49ers or Seahawks. But he was a really smart guy who had the respect of the young Bucs secondary, and that Joe was convinced something good would rub off.
The other Joe thought Sherman was a waste of time and over the hill, and the Bucs could have gotten someone else in here who could have at least played,
This recollection sprung to mind when Joe was reading an excerpt from Albert Breer’s “Monday Morning Quarterback” column on SI.com. It seems Sherman is a major reason why former Bucs safety Jordan Whitehead bolted to the Jets in free agency.
To read Breer, Sherman pushed his former defensive coordinator in San Francisco, Jets head coach Robert Saleh, to sign Whitehead.
And even in cases where there were players available that Saleh and [Jets GM Joe] Douglas liked that maybe they didn’t know personally, the Jets worked their back channels to make sure who was coming in would fit.
Jordan Whitehead, who’s shown signs of being a home run addition at safety, and played last year in Tampa Bay with a friend of the Jets’ Niners alumni club, is a really good example of it.
“Then Whitehead’s a guy who Sherm [Richard Sherman] called us on just adamant—adamant—that this dude was gonna be everything that we look for,” said Saleh. “So he was an easy one because he fit the mold of guys who love ball. We didn’t quite know him, but Richard Sherman was the one who championed that one, vouching for character and style of play and all that stuff.”
Joe wonders if Sherman at any time was “adamant” with Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht or Bucs coach Todd Bowles that they keep Whitehead? Or did Sherman know the Bucs, for salary cap reasons, weren’t going to keep Whitehead and Sherman decided to do Whitehead a solid and make sure he got paid?
Joe is a big fan of safety Mike Edwards and Joe also thinks Logan Ryan was a smart pickup. So the Bucs shouldn’t be hurting at safety with Antoine Winfield in place, too.
But yeah, Whitehead’s and his hard-hitting style will be missed.
September 6th, 2022 at 4:23 am
The way Whitehead plays, not only does he lay the lumber on others, his own body gets beat up and injured a lot also. It will be interesting to see how many games he is able to play in out of 17, again the way he hits, it takes a toll on him. He was injured for most of the time since starting in the 2020 Title game in GB and toughed out the Super Bowl win, with a bum shoulder. And then last year he was hurt.
Whitehead is a good guy, and I hope the best for him.
But the way he plays, we will see how long he can go.
GO BUCS!!!!
September 6th, 2022 at 5:47 am
He was a great Buccaneer.
Without that forced fumble against the Packers, we may not have won the Super Bowl.
Whitehead was a great draft pick and a great player for us.
He gave us everything he had, on every snap.
I will miss him and I wish him well.
September 6th, 2022 at 6:19 am
Only so much money to go around (especially for our defense it seems). Bucs chose to pay Carlton Davis & Vita Vea this past off-season, and let Whitehead, Suh & JPP walk. Business decision, that we compensated for by signing Logan Ryan, Keanu Neal & Akiem Hicks, plus drafting Logan Hall (plus JTS the previous year).
If I remember correctly, Jordan Whitehead’s cousin was Darrelle Revis, who achieved some fame as a DB with the NY Jets & others. Also seem to remember that they were fairly close. Kinda gets me wondering if MAYBE Revis didn’t have a hand in Whitehead’s moving on also. Heck, he & Sherman might’ve even talked about it before Sherm called Saleh. NFL is really a pretty small circle of personalities.
September 6th, 2022 at 6:20 am
He’s the one to keep an eye on. OJ, Rojo, JPP, and Suh, not so much; but Whitehead is a gamer in his prime. Can’t keep everyone, and Jordan’s style of play makes him injury prone. I wonder if Lucht considered that.
September 6th, 2022 at 6:33 am
I liked Whitehead a lot. But I think Ryan and Neal > Whitehead. Easy. All day.
September 6th, 2022 at 6:53 am
Momma always said “sometimes you gotta let it go”. The Bucs didn’t have enough Glazer loot to pay Whitehead and replace all of the pieces they had to replace. Whitehead is a great player, but with Edwards and Winfield it presented an excellent but cheaper alternative. Sherm did him a solid, and the Jets got a hell of a player!
September 6th, 2022 at 7:04 am
Whitehead’s a big hitter, but he was mad at being pulled on third downs because Bowles knew Edwards is better in coverage. Plus the Giants are paying Logan Ryan’s salary this year while the Jets are paying Whitehead $7 M.
September 6th, 2022 at 7:11 am
Ryan and Neal COMBINED are making less than 1/3 of the $ the Jets paid Whitehed.
September 6th, 2022 at 7:12 am
Jordan Whitehead was a big factor in The Suoer Bowl season . He has his money now and has to suffer through being a JET
I like the Bucs replacement strategy
September 6th, 2022 at 7:29 am
Other than Winfield, there was no consistency in the secondary. Hoping for a better 2022. Odd though, Bowles played in the secondary.
September 6th, 2022 at 7:41 am
How do we know where Whitehead was on Licht & Bowles priority list in terms of paying free agents? How do we know we it didn’t come down to either or situation but not both in terms of resigning Davis or Whitehead?
September 6th, 2022 at 8:27 am
We chose to sign Davis and let Whitehead go…….Whitehead easier to replace…..I’m sure Sherman helped Whitehead get to the Jets….but he was not going to be a Buc……
September 6th, 2022 at 8:43 am
Davis got paid too
September 6th, 2022 at 9:41 am
Win some, lose some. That’s just part of the game. If you are good there will always be a team willing to pay more for your services. The average career length is relatively short. Can’t blame guys for making as much as they can while they can.
September 6th, 2022 at 11:25 am
Whitehead hits too hard. He has had multiple injuries as a result. I don’t know how much longer his body can take it. So I think Licht and company were taking that into consideration.
September 6th, 2022 at 11:28 am
He was a key player in the NFC championship game, he took over another game too in regular season–just made it all him. Yeah he was a dominant safety. He was all in and it was a shame to loe him. It happened fast, I think Bucs lost him before they even woke up that day.
September 6th, 2022 at 11:46 am
I actually liked Whitehead at SS and Edwards at FS better than a lineup with Winfield in it, who is living off reputation a lot. I like Winfield, but Edwards is a better FS and Whitehead a better SS.
September 6th, 2022 at 11:51 am
@Brandon
Winfield does things that don’t always show up on the stat sheet and is probably one of our savviest DBs LMAO
September 6th, 2022 at 1:15 pm
Hey Joes, don’t forget Jordan whitehead is Darell Revis cousin and has an in with the Jets that probably also played a factor.
September 6th, 2022 at 3:31 pm
Great article, “Whichever Joe”. 😀
I wondered why Whitehead jumped ship when there was a real shot that he could get a second ring if he had stayed on board!
Of course I realize that there are a lot of factors when a guy makes career decisions. I’ve been a BUC fan long enough to recall the circumstances under which Warrick Dunn left us for the Dirty Birds just before we won our first Lombardi trophy here. He did the right thing for himself, I believe anyway.
Go Bucs!