Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White carries the ball for a 7-yard gain in the second half against the Los Angeles Chargers. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White has been a point of much discussion for a few years now, and those discussions only got more tense after the arrival of rookie running back Bucky Irving.
White, drafted by the Buccaneers in 2022, hadn't been as explosive of a runner as the Bucs thought. He averaged 3.7 and 3.6 yards per carry his first two years as a Buccaneer, the latter year of which he had a staggering 272 rushing attempts. He improved that number to 4.3 yards per carry last year, though, and he's been valuable in other areas -- the team has noted his ability to excel as a pass blocker, and he's also been a strong receiving back, catching six touchdowns last year.
That being said, the arrival of Irving has knocked him down the pecking order in the running back room. Irving averaged 5.4 yards per attempt and netted eight rushing touchdowns alongside 1,122 yards, the first Bucs running back to go over 1,000 since Doug Martin in 2015. And after that power dynamic has changed, White may be on his way out.
White took to Instagram on Thursday to hint at his fate, posting a picture of Baker Mayfield from Tampa Bay's official social account and adding the caption "One last ride".
It makes sense logistically. White will serve as RB2 in Tampa Bay, but he'll likely be too expensive to keep in that role once he hits free agency next year. Additionally, he likely wants to start at running back, and after Irving's arrival, he'll need to do that somewhere else.
Regardless of whether White's time in Tampa Bay is over or not, he'll look to make an impact with the rest of the offense in 2025 under new offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard -- and it seems like, if the team is to be believed, White will still get a lot of work in this season.
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