Devin White makes his true feelings about the Buccaneers crystal clear

One of the themes of this offseason for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was reunion.

Key players like Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans were re-signed before free agency even started, the Bucs gave a record-breaking contract to Antoine Winfield Jr., and Jordan Whitehead returned after two years with the Jets.

Devin White was notably not part of the reunion tour in free agency. Instead, the Bucs let him walk to Philadelphia. He signed a deal worth roughly $90 million less than what he was asking Tampa Bay for last offseason, and White’s exit ended one of the more bitter relationships the Bucs have experienced.

It’s not that White was bad, because he wasn’t; the former Pro Bowler stopped living up to expectations and wore out his welcome. His trade request last season put a sour taste in everyone’s mouth, his mediocre-at-best play was beyond frustrating, and it wasn’t surprising to see the team let him go this offseason.

What is surprising is that White has sanded off some of the edges he had right after being released and is getting a little introspective about his time in Tampa Bay.

Devin White says Buccaneers releasing him was ‘life-humbling’
White didn’t back down from his original barb at the Bucs, but has stepped back far enough to have some perspective. He’s not happy about being released, but White called it a ‘life-humbling’ experience that he’s using as motivation with the Eagles.

“I don’t know if I needed a change of scenery, but I feel like it was definitely good, a breath of fresh air to be able to start over and work my way from the ground up,” White said, via Eagles Today. “There’s nothing like a life-humbling experience.”

There seemed to be some bad blood between the Bucs and White that started over the offseason and peaked in Week 15. That’s when Todd Bowles made White a surprise healthy scratch right before a huge game against the Green Bay Packers.

Bowles so clumsily explained what happened that the NFL launched an investigation, but the message was clear. White had lost his starting job to K.J. Britt and the writing was officially on the wall. Rick Stroud reported that players and coaches had grown tired of White’s antics and the fly needed to be removed from the ointment.

For his part, White doesn’t blame the Bucs or Bowles for how things went. In fact, he went so far as to say Bowles remains a father figure to him even though he’s switched teams.

“That’s a guy who always had my back, so if he said [White needed a change of scenery] then I really agree because he knows best,” White said. “He was a father figure to me, still to this day, and he checks in on me. "

This is a testament — and reminder — to how well-liked Bowles is in the locker room. White seemed to be a huge problem, but nothing that happened could drive a wedge between him and Bowles. That’s huge, especially when the head coaching job is called into quesiton.

White might have worn out his welcome in Tampa Bay a long time ago, but he delivered a pretty kind parting gift that neatly ties a bow around all the drama.