James White is set to become a free agent for the first time in his seven-year NFL career.
White, who played each of the last seven seasons with the New England Patriots, will hit the open market when the new league year begins March 17.
Could White return to the Patriots? Sure. Of note, NESN.com’s Zack Cox listed White’s likelihood of return as “moderate.”
But if White does look for a bigger contract, or seek a return closer to home, there’s a few potential landing spots that make plenty of sense for the 29-year-old running back.
We listed five of them, not including the Patriots:
Jacksonville Jaguars
Nothing like a pass-catching running back making receptions out of the backfield to help a rookie quarterback, right? The Jaguars have the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, which they’ll likely use to select signal-caller Trevor Lawrence. White could serve as a nice complement and veteran leader to incoming second-year back James Robinson. Jacksonville also has more cap space than anyone this offseason ($84 million, per OverTheCap.com) and with White being a Florida native, he certainly could be talked into returning closer to home.
Miami Dolphins
White’s hometown Dolphins also make plenty of sense when looking at off-the-field reasoning. It would help White return closer to family after an unspeakable tragedy this past season. On the field, White would help the Dolphins add an offensive playmaker, who would work in tandem with 2019 seventh-rounder Myles Gaskin. Especially if the Dolphins are interested in trading for Deshaun Watson, White could play a nice part in a new-look offense while Miami has $22 million in cap space.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Another Florida team, yes, but the Buccaneers have a player who White is rather comfortable with in quarterback Tom Brady. Brady, of course, was a huge fan of White during their respective Patriots tenures, and it wouldn’t be a major shock to see the 43-year-old QB put a word in. Additionally, Ronald Jones is under contract for just one season while 2020 third-rounder Ke’Shawn Vaughn is playing on a rookie contract — meaning the Bucs don’t have much money tied up into the running back room. Tampa Bay has just shy of $12 million in cap space.
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers already have re-upped Jeff Wilson for the upcoming season while Raheem Mostert also is under contract for 2021, but it doesn’t sound like either Tevin Coleman or Jerrick McKinnon will be returning. White would pair well as the pass-catching back for Kyle Shanahan’s offense which relies heavily on yards-after-catch. The Niners have about $23 million in cap space, too.
Atlanta Falcons
Both Todd Gurley and Brian Hill, the No. 1 and No. 3 running backs on Atlanta’s depth chart, are set to become free agents. The No. 2 option, Ito Smith, a 2018 fourth-rounder, has just 55 career receptions. And with Atlanta not having much cap space, going after a perhaps cheaper option like White (in comparison to Aaron Jones, Chris Carson) would make sense. Plus, having a pass-catching back on underneath routes to complement receivers Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley could go a long way.
