Buccaneers moving on from Super Bowl-winning safety

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be looking for a new safety in 2025.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Jordan Whitehead warms up before a game against the Philadelphia Eagles. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won't be moving forward with one of their 2023 free agency signings.

The Bucs signed Jordan Whitehead in 2024 after he was initially drafted by the team in 2018, playing in Tampa Bay until he left for the New York Jets in free agency in 2021. He was there for two years, but the Buccaneers brought him back in 2024 in hopes that he could offer the spark the team lost when he left initially.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Jordan Whitehead reacts after a play against the Washington Commanders. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

That wasn't the case. Whitehead underperformed when he played and suffered multiple injuries throughout the year, the last of which was a car accident that kept him out of the playoffs — and now, per NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, the Bucs won't be activating his option bonus and he'll be a free agent.

The #Buccaneers have informed S Jordan Whitehead they’re not exercising his option bonus, making him a free agent in a few weeks, source says. Whitehead is recovering from injuries suffered in a January car accident and is expected to be recovered well ahead of the season. pic.twitter.com/MqUcQDgdmG

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) February 26, 2025

Whitehead was signed to a two-year, $9,000,000 deal in 2024, but it featured an out after the first year that gave Whitehead $4.5 million and zero dollars against the cap should the option for next year not be retained. Now that it hasn't, Whitehead will be a free agent this offseason, and the Buccaneers save that remaining $4.5 million. The Buccaneers could technically bring him back on a smaller deal, but with Tykee Smith primed to move to safety, that seems unlikely.

Whitehead finished his one year in Tampa Bay with 79 total tackles and three passes defended in 12 games.

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