There’s something to be said for using your past failures as motivation. It can be a powerful tool for an athlete to use real or perceived slights to give themselves a mental edge.
It’s something Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Devin White sounds like he’s ready to use for his own motivation after spending the first five seasons of his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
White said he talk a pay cut to sign with the Eagles in hopes of winning a Super Bowl and securing a long-term deal to play on Philadelphia’s talented defense. White signed a 1-year, $7.5 million free agent deal with the Eagles in March.
“”Rather taking such and such with another team that don’t have the pieces around to even allow me to become even better,” White told The Pivot podcast on Aug. 6. “For me, I know I have to rebuild myself and show I can be that dominant middle linebacker … to be on a great team that’s going to be great in the future and I want to be around long term.”
White’s Quick Ascent to NFL Elite Linebacker
White was the No. 5 overall pick by the Buccaneers in the 2019 NFL Draft out of LSU, where he was a two-time All-American and the Butkus Award winner as the nation’s top college linebacker in 2018. It was the first time Tampa Bay picked a linebacker in the first round since they selected Pro Football Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks with the No. 28 overall pick out of Florida State in 1995.
White’s NFL career took off like The Human Torch — he was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team in 2019, won a Super Bowl and was named NFL All-Pro in 2020 and was a Pro Bowler in 2021.
White took time on The Pivot to single out former Buccaneers’ quarterback Tom Brady, who joined the team in 2020 and led them to the Super Bowl win.
“I have nothing but love and praise for (Brady) and what he did for the team and what he did for Tampa,” White said. “He just had this air of winning about him and there was nothing else … no All-Pro, no Pro Bowl, no stats, nothing else mattered. He really changed the culture and everybody just followed his lead.”
Bad Season Followed By ‘Selfish’ Trade Request
White’s game seemed to hit a wall in 2022. He missed a career-high 16 tackles and was targeted heavily in the passing game, where he gave up a whopping 120.5 passer rating.
White went into the offseason looking for a contract extension that would make him one of the NFL’s highest-paid inside linebackers. The Buccaneers opted to pick up the fifth-year option on his contract, which paid him $11.7 million in 2023.
White followed that up by demanding a trade, which the Buccaneers flatly refused.
Before training camp in Aug. 2023, White told the Pewter Report: “You know, I just want to be a guy like Lavonte (David), who’s been here forever. I wanted to be that next guy. And we just didn’t make it happen when I wanted it to. And that’s where I kind of get a little bit selfish. Even knowing I still had the fifth-year option and that was the thing in play.”
White responded by having his worst season as a pro in 2023 after he missed a career-high 3 games and finished with a career-low 83 tackles.
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Former NFL All-Pro Left Buccaneers to Be ‘Dominant’