White Threatens Holdout — In 2009

According to Profootballtalk.com, Greg White has not received a satisfactory long-term offer for his services, but since he's an exclusive-rights free agent, he has little choice but to play for the Bucs or stay home. This year, he says he'll play for his tender. Next year, though, he says he'll stay home.

According to [agent Jim] Trotter, White will not play for the Bucs in 2009 if they haven't given him a much better deal by the end of 2008.

If White's agent is acting on his own, White should reign him in now before he talks his way out of any negotiations. White is in the same situation as Earnest Graham was. He had a good season last year, but no one knows if it was a one-time performance or if that's really how good he is. In Graham's case, he pushed and pushed until he got the deal he got... which is kind of a crappy deal for Graham if you ask me (and since you're here, I assume you did.) He's bound long-term to the Bucs but didn't really get the long-term security of a big signing bonus. Is that really what White wants? A contract that is essentially a series of one-year deals that gives him no real security?

The Bucs love pass rushers and will pay them when they feel the time is right. I like White and thought he deserved to be signed to a longer deal this offseason, but the Bucs have several other pass rushers to try out this season as well as White's exclusive rights. This is not the time to make a stand.