The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will move on from free agent safety Jordan Whitehead when the new league year begins. According to the breaking news, the Buccaneers are releasing Whitehead since he’s a cap casualty. Last offseason, it was all about reunion affairs but the season didn’t go as planned for most of the athletes the Buccaneers brought back. Quarterback Baker Mayfield and wide receiver Mike Evans did well playing like MVPs but the same can’t be said about the Buccaneers pass secondary.
Injuries and poor performances piled up on Whitehead for him to even make some type of impact. The team signed Antoine Winfield Jr. to a recording-breaking extension but he missed seven games including the last four of the regular season. It was a rough patch for Whitehead who was hoping to establish back as a reliable starting safety despite recording 79 total tackles and 12 passes defended in 12 games. Originally selected in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft, the former Pittsburgh product left for the Jets to spend two seasons with them but eventually came back to fight for his role back.
Whitehead sustained a car accident which was a key reason why he missed the final two games of the regular season. The Buccaneers will save up about $4.5 million by not exercising the option on his contract. The veteran probably won’t have the best market so no one should expect him to sign elsewhere anytime soon but these three teams could say otherwise.
Buccaneers Expected To Move On From Free Agent Jordan Whitehead
3 Possible Destinations
Los Angeles Chargers
Just like Asante Samuel Jr., the Chargers will probably move on from Derwin James this offseason as the secondary unit could look dramatically different. Alohi Gilman’s job is in jeopardy as well in the midst of it but he should return for at least one more year despite signing Elijah Molden to an extension. Last year, the team signed Marcus Maye to salvage the unit since losing Gilman for a couple of games.
However, Maye is a free agent and the Chargers probably won’t sign him back even though the team has money to burn. Whitehead is no permanent solution but he’s capable of being a situational safety as depth since the Chargers will likely sign the top free agent available with their cap space.
Baltimore Ravens
For the Ravens, it’s hard to examine how the outlook of the secondary will be. Veteran cornerback Marlon Humphrey is a cap casualty while Ar’Darius Washington could use some backup. Marcus Williams lost his starting job in 2024 in favor of Washington which positively helped Baltimore. Whitehead won’t be a permanent backup but he’s easily an upgrade from Williams.
Carolina Panthers
Things are shaping up for the Carolina Panthers offense as Bryce Young has a capable pass attack that could finally lead to some wins. However, head coach Dave Canales has yet to address the defense and he didn’t make any moves to improve their secondary unit other than adding several practice squad members. Carolina ranked near the bottom on the defensive side of the ball while Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson did what they could to keep the Panthers alive.
However, they need some extra juice no matter who the starting safety will be next season. Free Agent Xavier Woods will probably leave so perhaps, Whitehead could be an adequate replacement for the Panthers secondary. Pairing him with (hopefully) extending Horn should give the team a high-quality competitive unit.
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