Is Vita Vea’s Contract In Devin White’s Head?
April 13th, 2023
As Vita Vea’s fourth regular season concluded and the playoffs were about to begin, Tampa Bay extended his contract with a beastly four-year, $73 million deal.
Devin White? His fourth season ended with a losing record and a contract offer (non-offer) that led to him asking to leave town.
Players love to compare themselves to peers at their position, but they also look up and down their own roster to check on who’s getting paid.
Joe wonders if White sees Carlton Davis, Jamel Dean, Vita Vea and Shaq Barrett with fatter salaries than his and thinks it’s unfair. He also may not like the idea of asking for a monster deal next offseason when Antoine Winfield Jr. will be doing the same thing.
Head coach/defensive playcaller Todd Bowles says White is a “top-2” player on the Bucs’ defense. Bowles clarified by explaining White is top-2 every single week – and other players periodically join him as the No. 1 or No. 2 of the game.
White is an emotional dude, so Joe truly believes White thinks he’s being disrespected by the Bucs’ front office. He’s played hard and he’s played hurt, and he embraces leadership and has produced.
In White’s mind, Joe believes, he’s at least as deserving of a market value contract like Vita Vea was last season. Heck, White plays every snap and Vea doesn’t even play two-thirds.
Joe hopes the Bucs can somehow kiss and make up with White, but it sure appears doubtful. And if White really doesn’t want to be in Tampa, well, then Joe’s happy to score extra draft picks and salary cap room.
Ira Kaufman Takes An Extremely Deep Dive Into All Things Devin White Wanting Out Of Tampa, And More
April 13th, 2023 at 3:55 am
Maybe it is, it should be prorated for playing time
April 13th, 2023 at 4:36 am
Really lost respect for this guy. You’ve played “just good” for 3 out of four years, & all the Bucs asked—-especially in a year where we have to tighten the belts—-is to play great 2 out of 5 years to get a Great contract. Dude took his leadership position and flushed it down the toilet. Did Warren Sapp ever call out Derrick Brooks to be stripped of a captaincy due to effort in a contract year? There’s levels to this game, Devin.
April 13th, 2023 at 5:33 am
Just another log on the fire saying that this will be a rebuild. If he wants out, let him go. There is nothing to be gained by having a guy that is going to give less effort because he feels forced to be here. Unfortunately for us, he took it public, probably reducing the compensation to us. A guy that really cares about his teammates and the Bucs goes to the GM and Coach first, and try to have them work out a deal elsewhere. He obviously doesn’t.
April 13th, 2023 at 5:54 am
Trade him. Been saying that for over a month. He isn’t worth the money he wants, it will help the Bucs get more picks and save on the salary cap. It also gets rid of a disgruntled player who will create problems in the locker room. There are several ILBs that could be had in the 2nd or 3rd round to replace him.
April 13th, 2023 at 5:55 am
Trade him
April 13th, 2023 at 6:30 am
The man admitted to getting bored during games. How can he expect a big payday when his whole heart is not in the game?
April 13th, 2023 at 6:34 am
Or maybe he doesn’t like the favouritism the Bucs showed toward a 1st round bust and faliure QB as if the team didn’t have good players to praise. Just saying!
April 13th, 2023 at 6:34 am
If he plays next year then walks, do we get a comp pick?
April 13th, 2023 at 7:14 am
@Beej
“If he plays next year then walks, do we get a comp pick?”
Yes, up to a late 3rd round pick.
April 13th, 2023 at 7:22 am
At best he’s worth a 2 anyhow, and if he tanks this year NOone will want him
April 13th, 2023 at 7:27 am
Trade da bum.
April 13th, 2023 at 7:28 am
Trade da bum.
April 13th, 2023 at 7:31 am
I would trade him but I do understand him being upset. Your paying Vea all this money and hes only playing a little over 50% of snaps. Even though Vea is a great player he is vastly overpaid playing a little over half the game.
April 13th, 2023 at 7:40 am
Dean is a guy everyone wanted to run out of town not long ago. Shaq had 1 good year. Vea is only worth it if he plays more snaps. I can see DWs logic.and didn’t the old man LVD get a deal as well. Can’t keep ‘em all.
April 13th, 2023 at 7:58 am
Divas and narcissists worry about those around them rather than have confidence in themselves
Sound familiar?
Diva should play out the tag and walk in FA with a bag full of loot
Instead he tries to hostage the team just before the draft with no concern for anyone but himself
April 13th, 2023 at 7:59 am
White’s got no one to blame but himself. He has shown flashes of greatness but cannot seem to be consistently great. Bucs show that they will pay a guy if he’s worth it.
April 13th, 2023 at 8:11 am
The streak that white did play excellent was when Vita Vea came back from injury when everyone though he was done for the year and dominated. That’s the reason he was effective and didn’t have a center pushing white down the field.
April 13th, 2023 at 8:24 am
My post from yesterday
Tampabaybucfan Says:
April 12th, 2023 at 12:29 pm
I have a slightly different take on this………the Bucs extended Vita Vea with a huge raise in his 5th year (option year)……….]
They didn’t have the money to do that with White because they brought back LVD and signed Dean.
White does have a point about the money…..but it’s the public display that is bothering….it does him no good.
He will have to play hard in 2023 in order to get paid big bucks….
We could use the non-exclusive franchise tag on him next year.we could receive 2 1st round picks if someone outbids us…..that price is about $20 mil.
April 13th, 2023 at 8:33 am
Vita Vea’s role as our NT directly effects Devin White’s ability to do his job and makes it so he’s not getting put on skates by opposing IOLmen on a weekly basis. Also, If Vea weren’t a presence as a gap stuffer, all those shots through the A-gap we’ve seen White take since day 1 wouldn’t be as successful/timely as some of them have been. I get looking at seeing your peers get their big deals, but the guys who’ve gotten pay days in the past 2-3 years have also waited their turn to get their money.
White’s going to end up altering his career path due to his own impatience(and ego). We’ve seen him bite on fakes, or over pursue misdirection’s so how likely is it that’s just part of his personality as a functioning, decision making human being? My guess would be it’s enough to matter now
April 13th, 2023 at 8:40 am
Isn’t worth 20mil per not a chance
April 13th, 2023 at 8:59 am
If he stays, please get that dang “C” off his jersey. . .
April 13th, 2023 at 9:07 am
He loafs, loses focus and gets sealed off and run over. Otherwise he does make some flash plays. Let’s see how he plays this season…. Bucs have other more pressing concerns, besides I have little sympathy for multi millionaire players wanting more and more.
April 13th, 2023 at 9:35 am
According to Spotrac, Devin White signed a 4 year, $29.3 mil contract with the Bucs when he was drafted #5 in 2019. That included a $19.3 signing bonus AND his contract was FULLY GUARANTEED. Thus his average annual salary for the 1st 4 years was $7.3 mil. In 2023, White’s earning a base salary of $11.7 mil, while carrying a cap hit of $11.7 mil and a dead cap value of the same $11.7 mil.
So in his first 5 years with the Bucs, he’ll have made a total of $41.0 mil. Devin was fortunate to be drafted #5 (ILBs don’t normally go that high), and blessed to have played on a team that was very competitive while he’s been on it. Personally I don’t consider him to be a top-notch leader on this defense, and his play on the field could certainly use improvement (especially in terms of pass coverage). Appears to me that Devin White just bit the hand that feeds him. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out.
April 13th, 2023 at 9:56 am
Sometimes getting passed up on promotions has more to do with attitude than skill.
April 13th, 2023 at 10:01 am
Diva can kiss my horse. Eff him.
April 13th, 2023 at 10:01 am
@DR and others here,
So if he plays for the Bucs this year, how many of us would vote for him as captain? I would not if I were his teammate. We’ll soon see how the rest of his teammates view him as to whether he’s voted captain or not.
My point is? If he isn’t voted as captain, and goes to FA next year, it won’t look good on his football resume.
But first, let’s see how this year plays out. I’m upset DW chose to make this public – go up the chain of command first!!!
April 13th, 2023 at 10:02 am
Licht had to re-up Vea to retroactively justify trading away the pick that produced Josh Allen ( QB ). Of course that hindsight is 20/10 and Winny still had us fooled he was THE QB of the future.
But yeah…there may be no going back with White. Players are emboldened and have much more power/say these days.
April 13th, 2023 at 11:02 am
I’m sorry, you’re saying White is as valuable as Vea?
Vita Vea, the 1-2 most dominant nose tackles in the game. The guy who forces a double team on every play.
White isn’t the best LB on the team, let alone the league.
Bromosa anyone?
April 13th, 2023 at 11:15 am
Was White in a 3-4 in college? Seems like a 3-4 exposes his weaknesses
April 13th, 2023 at 11:32 am
Vita Vea’s contract shows Jason Licht getting a bad ROI as Vea badly regressed without Suh next to him to push him. Vita Vea needs to go on a serious diet andreport 40 lbs lighter and in shape to play 80% of the snas, not 50%
Rob Gronkowski did a popular commerical for Wolfe and Shepard shoes.
Vita Vea and Devn White should try to get a similar shoe sales gig.
Whenever I see them in a game I immediately think of “a pair of loafers”
April 13th, 2023 at 11:49 am
Vita is consistent for his playing time, I think that was 56%.
That means that Dive plays well less than 56% of the time.
If he was more consistent he would have been paid, but he isn’t.
April 13th, 2023 at 12:10 pm
I don’t think his teammates contract had anything to do it with it they just don’t see eye to eye on what what Devin’s value is, Devin wants to be paid as if he is the top linebacker in the league period and the bucs don’t see him as that so won’t pay him that. He isn’t worth paying him top dollar and if the bucs trade him they wouldn’t get back any where near what Devin is worth because he is on the last year of his contract. If he decides to flop on purpose or sit out it will only devalue him even more so the smart money is to make him play out his last year and if he balls out pay him and if not duces buddy it’s a business fans stuck on this loyalty thing is cute but its a business for everyone.
April 13th, 2023 at 12:47 pm
Package part time Vea with Diva White.
April 13th, 2023 at 12:59 pm
Without Vea in there white sucks. Without white in there Vea is still elite. Case closed buh bye
April 13th, 2023 at 3:45 pm
Vea is elite for the few plays a game he’s been in the lineup