Roddy White has been a superstar in the NFL for a long time, and franchises are not going to forget that. White is the Falcons' all-time leading receiver and holds the franchise record for touchdowns (63), so fans should not appreciate the Falcons discarding White like this. Julio Jones must also be upset after hearing the news that his friend and teammate for his entire career was just released.
The Falcons' new system seems to be too complicated for quarterback Matt Ryan, which could have helped slow down White a bit more this season. White also never got along with Kyle Shanahan and was never thought of as a big part of this offense after he became the offensive coordinator. The 34-year-old has been with the Atlanta Falcons for his entire NFL career, and for two of those seasons, he worked with current Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter.
Koetter could be the only person to bring out what White truly has left in the tank, and with a promising young quarterback like Jameis Winston under center, White may find more offensive continuity in Tampa than he did in Atlanta a season ago.
White is hardly a spring chicken, but he is still managing 11.8 yards per reception, which is pretty decent, especially for a player who could come in as the third or fourth wide receiver in an offense. An impressive stat from White's 2015 season is managing to start and play in every game. In 2015, he recorded 43 receptions, 506 receiving yards and a touchdown.
His age may not make him a great red zone target, but the Buc's would have that covered with Vincent Jackson, Mike Evans and Austin Seferian-Jenkins. White could truly just back up the two starters and make plays when he could, and this should also help with injuries, as he will see less time on the field.
White has not topped 1,000 receiving yards since 2012, but he should have enough juice left to have put up several productive seasons. The Buccaneers will look to build up this offense to help Jameis Winston more than they did during the 2015 offseason.
