The Tampa Bay Buccaneers welcomed back a friendly face to their defensive backfield this offseason, signing veteran safety Jordan Whitehead to a two-year deal in free agency.
Whitehead, a fourth-round pick by the Bucs out of Pitt in the 2018 NFL draft, spent his first four NFL seasons in Tampa Bay, and was a key member of a secondary that helped bring a second Lombardi Trophy to One Buc Place.
But the Bucs didn’t re-sign Whitehead to a contract extension after his rookie deal expired, so he spent the past two seasons with the New York Jets.
Tampa Bay struggled to replace Whitehead’s impact next to Antoine Winfield Jr. on the back end of the defense over the past two years, so when Whitehead hit the open market again this offseason, Bucs general manager Jason Licht jumped at the opportunity to bring him back.
Appearing on the “Loose Cannons” podcast, Licht admitted that it was a mistake to let Whitehead walk in the first place:
An NFL General Manager who admits mistake is rare. Hearing Jason Licht say that when discussing bringing back #Bucs Safety Jordan Whitehead was such a stand-out moment from his appearance with us the other night.
Watch The Entire Sit-Down Here: https://t.co/6gI286QzbN pic.twitter.com/iVf3454YOi— The Loose Cannons Podcast (@LooseCannonsTB) May 23, 2024
Considering his experience in Todd Bowles’ system, Whitehead should have no problem making an immediate impact now that he’s back in Tampa Bay.
