One of the great things about Gen Z is their ability to communicate so much with so little effort.
Whereas older generations used words — full sentences, even — the under-30 crowd doesn’t need all that.
They need an emoji. And that emoji can tell us everything.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White — 26 years old — responded to a string of posts on X about his possible free agent future and told so much with less than one sentence and just one emoji.
Following the Buccaneers’ elimination from the postseason after the Atlanta Falcons defeated the New Orleans Saints in Week 18, White wrote “Uno out … thank yaw forever for da past 4 years,” on his Instagram stories along with a picture of himself sitting in the Buccaneers locker room in full uniform.
White, a 2022 third round pick, just finished his fourth season with the Buccaneers. Which is the first clue he might be interviewing.
“It would appear Rachaad White, who is a free agent, will be looking for a new home based on his post,” Tampa Bay Times NFL reporter Rick Stroud wrote on his official X account.
On a post from White on X quoting a post from Polymarket Sports’ Wam with a picture of White and Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels playing together in college, the entire text of White’s post was a “thinking” emoji.
It means, for all intents and purposes, White could be interested in joining the Commanders in free agency — a move that could give their offense a much-needed boost.
Figuring Out White’s Value as Free Agent
White had over 1,500 yards of total offense in 2023 and over 1,000 yards of total offense in 2024, when he began splitting time with running back Bucky Irving.
While everyone on the Buccaneers watched their stats take a hit this year thanks to a patchwork lineup on offense, White was still one of the more reliable players. What he’s shown over the last 4 years — and especially the last 2 years playing with Irving — is that his true value to a team would be as a 1-2 punch with an elite running back.
After playing out the 4-year, $5.22 million rookie contract he signed fresh out of Arizona State in 2022, Spotrac projects White will be in line for a 2-year, $14.7 million free agent contract, which might be a tad high.
The Commanders could likely get White on a 2-year deal worth between $8 million to $10 million.
Commanders Royally Screwed Up RBs in 2025
The Commanders inexplicably traded arguably their best running back, Brian Robinson Jr., to the San Francisco 49ers during the preseason.
Veteran running back Austin Ekeler tore his Achilles tendon early in the season. Quarterback Jayden Daniels set an NFL rookie rushing record with 891 yards in 2024 but missed 10 games due to injuries in 2025.
That put the entire rushing load almost entirely on the shoulders of rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt, who responded valiantly with 805 rushing yards and 8 touchdown while averaging 4.6 yards per carry but wasn’t ready to be a a featured back.
Robinson could have helped stem the tide in a wasted season. The Commanders went 5-12 one year after going 12-5 and making the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 1991.
White played with Daniels for 2 seasons at ASU in 2020 and 2021 and could end up being one of the NFL’s better running back combos alongide Croskey-Merritt, not to mention what a healthy Daniels could bring to the table.
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