TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed free agent safety Jordan Whitehead.
Whitehead rejoins Tampa Bay after spending the previous two seasons with the New York Jets, starting all 34 regular season games and recording 123 tackles, 17 passes defensed and six interceptions. He led all defensive backs last season with 32 run stops, per Next Gen Stats.
“Adding Jordan back to our defensive backfield is a big addition for us and we are all excited to get him back in the building,” said Buccaneers General Manager Jason Licht. “Jordan is a thumper, who sets the tone with his physicality and effort, and he was a key member of our Super Bowl defense. He is an ideal fit for a Todd Bowles defense and while we hated to see him leave two years ago, today we got our guy back.”
Whitehead began his career as a fourth-round selection (No. 117 overall) by Tampa Bay in the 2018 NFL Draft and played his first four seasons for the Buccaneers, starting at safety for the Super Bowl LV championship team.
Over 93 career regular season games, including 89 starts, Whitehead has amassed 477 tackles (29 for loss), 42 passes defensed, 11 interceptions, six quarterback hits, 2.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He has started in six career playoff appearances – all with Tampa Bay – totaling 22 tackles (two for loss), two forced fumbles and one pass defensed.
The Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, native played collegiately at Pittsburgh, earning All-ACC honors in 2015 and 2016, in addition to being named the 2015 ACC Rookie of the Year.