Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Jordan Whitehead was involved in a car accident on Saturday and suffered significant injuries that it has forced the team to place him on the non-football injury list, the team announced.
In a statement released on Saturday afternoon, the Bucs said that the accident happened while Whitehead was on his way to the team facility.
“Jordan Whitehead was involved in an auto accident this morning on his way to our practice facility,” the statement reads. “Due to injuries sustained in the accident, he will not play in Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints and has been laced on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury (NFI) list.”
Whitehead, 27, is in the middle of his second stint with the Buccaneers. The veteran was initially drafted by the organization in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft out of Pittsburgh.
He played four seasons for the franchise and was a part of the club’s Super Bowl LV championship run in 2020. In the spring of 2022, he signed a two-year, $14.5 million deal to join the New York Jets. After playing out that deal, he returned to Tampa Bay last offseason.
Whitehead has appeared in 12 games for the Bucs this season and had just made his return to the field in Week 17 after missing time due to a pectoral injury. Overall, he’s totaled 79 tackles and three pass breakups.
If Tampa Bay can defeat the Saints on Sunday, they’ll clinch the NFC South division title and punch their ticket to the playoffs.
