NFL Rumors: Devin White to Report to Bucs Camp After Eyeing Trade, Contract Extension

Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Devin White will report to the team ahead of the start of training camp Wednesday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The 2021 Pro Bowler is in the last year of his contract after the Bucs triggered his $11.7 million option for the upcoming season. Jenna Laine of ESPN reported in April he had requested a trade, in part because "he has become very unhappy in his current situation."

General manager Jason Licht made it clear Tampa Bay had little desire to trade White.

"He's done some great things for us as a player, and we look forward to more from him in the future," Licht told reporters in April. "So he's on our team ... we are looking forward to him being a part of this team, and (if) he has the kind of year that we all think he's capable of, we can hopefully put this to rest and everybody's happy."

White showed up to the Buccaneers' mandatory minicamp in June but notably didn't actually practice.

The collective bargaining agreement makes it prohibitively costly for a player to hold out in training camp, which used to be a regular tactic for a star angling for a new contract. A mandatory fine of $50,000 is applied for each day a player has an unexcused absence.

That left White with limited options. Sooner or later, he'd have to show up, though he could choose to limit his participation in training camp.

Roquan Smith adopted that approach with the Chicago Bears last offseason. Smith won out in the end as well, getting traded to the Baltimore Ravens in the middle of the season and signing a five-year, $100 million extension.

It appears White's only realistic path to getting paid at the level he wants—whether it's with the Buccaneers or another team—is by performing at an elite level in 2023.