Buccaneers GM Jason Licht: ‘Ideally I’d Love’ to Have Jordan Whitehead Back

INDIANAPOLIS — Jordan Whitehead has accomplished a lot since leaving Pitt in 2018. The former Pitt and Central Valley star became a starter for the Buccaneers and won a Super Bowl ring with them as well. However, after his contributions in the big guava, Whitehead is set to hit free agency.

With the numerous free agents that the Buccaneers will have, however, Whitehead could be on the backburner for someone like Chris Godwin or Ryan Jensen. While the Buccaneers have a number of needs and free agents, Whitehead remains a priority for them according to Buccaneers’ general manager Jason Licht. Not only is Whitehead a great player, but the value he brings to the defense can not be replaced.

“Jordan has become a very good player for us,” Licht said. “It’s just his presence on defense when we didn’t have due to injury. You could see that we were missing a little bit of juice that comes from him. He provides that. He’s been a good player for us, and a great pick for us. I’m proud of our staff for drafting him. Ideally, you would love to have him back, but we’ll see where it goes.”

Whitehead is looking at a safety market with multiple high-level safeties entering the market, including Jessie Bates, Marcus Williams, Tyrann Mathieu, Justin Reid, and others. That means a questionable market for his monetary value, however, the former Panther has exceeded expectations at every step and continues to improve.

Click for more coverage from Alan Saunders, Nick Farabaugh and Dan Angell, live from Indianapolis at the 2022 NFL Combine.