Shots were fired out of the cannon by Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht. In Dan Pompei's feature for The Athletic about Licht, the long-time front office executive in Tampa did not beat around the bush. He was quick to dismiss and write off former first-round picks and free-agent acquisitions during his first few years on the job that did not pan out. Licht let Devin White have it!
This feature was a roundabout way of saying that Licht truly values high-character guys with the team's lofty draft picks now. While he said that his first pick as general manager in wide receiver Mike Evans may be the foundational piece for all that is right with the Buccaneers now. Although it did not work out for Jameis Winston in Tampa Bay, Licht's family only has nice things to say about the man.
As for White, well, it seems as though Licht overlooked his egotistical manner because he could ball.
“Knowing what I know now, he would have been off my board. It was too much about him.”
White is now on his third NFL team since leaving the Buccaneers franchise after the 2023 season.
Shots fired: #Buccaneers GM Jason Licht says he would’ve taken LB Devin White off his draft board entirely if he knew then what he knows now, he told @TheAthletic
— JPA Football (@jasrifootball) August 12, 2025
“Knowing what I know now, he would have been off my board. It was too much about him.”
Tampa took him 5th overall… pic.twitter.com/pvrMiFZca3
Simply put, Licht wants high-character guys who elevate their teammates with Tampa Bay's top picks.
Jason Licht would not have drafted Devin White if he had to do it over
Back in 2019, White was a can't-miss linebacker coming out of LSU. He once played with a ferocious energy and had a great knack for finding the football. I distinctly remember him being all about horses during the lead-up to the 2019 NFL Draft. While he was an All-Pro and Super Bowl champion in 2020, as well as a Pro Bowler in 2021, it became clear after five years with the team he would not get a sixth.
Ahead of last NFL season, White signed with the Philadelphia Eagles back in March 2024, but never played a snap for the team. After being released by The Birds, he signed with the Houston Texans. Seven games later, he ended up signing with the Las Vegas Raiders ahead of this NFL season. White will only be 27 years old throughout the entirety of this campaign, but teams are not interested in him.
I think what this tells me White is largely the same guy he was coming out of LSU, just not the same player... Even though it does sort of feel like Licht is preaching about character atop his high horse (pun intended), he actually had the self-awareness to look deep inside himself and become better at his job. It is his reinvention as a front-office executive over the last few years than has him top-tier.
Ultimately, you have to appreciate Licht being this candid with Pompei. Most people in the know would not say these sort of things because first, you are on top of the world, only later do you get toppled on. Licht's refined feel on getting the right players for his team is why Tampa Bay has had a stranglehold atop the NFC South since the New Orleans Saints' decline after Drew Brees' retirement.
Licht does come across as a bit holier than thou in this article, but when you are top, you can be that.