SB LI hero White stays humble after big payday
FOXBORO — Patriots running back James White rocketed into the offseason on the highest note imaginable, as he became the first player in Super Bowl history to score a touchdown in overtime.
White got the Disney World treatment and everything. And then, to really hammer home the most gratifying stretch of his professional career, the Patriots surprised him with a big-time contract extension to reassure his value to the roster.
“It’s a surprising development,” White said yesterday in his first comments since signing the deal in April. “I was just going to come out and work hard. They brought the offer to me. I accepted it. At the same time, it’s not going to change who I am. I’ll continue to work, continue to do whatever this team asks me to do, follow the lead of all our leaders and our coaches.”
White had been entering the final year of his rookie deal, and was scheduled to earn $690,000 in 2017. Instead, the Patriots handed him a three-year extension worth a base value of $12 million and a chance to earn an additional $3 million in incentives. His $4 million signing bonus exceeded the total value of his four-year rookie contract.
White agreed to the deal the same day that running back Mike Gillislee signed his two-year, $6.4 million offer sheet with the Patriots. Rex Burkhead garnered a one-year, $3.1 million deal earlier this offseason.
With those two additions in mind, you couldn’t blame White if he became uneasy about his potential future with the club, even after a breakout season. His 60 regular-season receptions were the most by a Patriots running back since 1994, and he scored three touchdowns in the Super Bowl. He also set a Super Bowl record with 14 catches.
So the contract extension was an obvious form of assurance that White would be around for a while longer.
“It’s definitely nice, but at the same time, you still have to work,” White said. “Nothing is for certain, so you’ve got to go out there and prove yourself each and every day. I just want to continue to work with this team and become a better player each and every day.”
As for the perks of the Super Bowl LI performance, the genuinely humble White noted he “traveled a bunch” this offseason, but he is desperately trying to leave it in the past, despite how many times he has encountered the game’s highlights.
“It’s a new season,” White said. “Nobody cares about that anymore, so I’ve just got to get focused on this year.”
Guessing game
Bill Belichick has consistently mixed up the deployment of his running backs for about a decade, and that trend will surely continue in 2017. Gillislee, Burkhead and Dion Lewis will contend for carries, while Lewis and White will compete for snaps on passing downs. D.J. Foster and Brandon Bolden also have a chance to earn a roster spot.
A full house is a good thing in White’s eyes.
“(Gillislee and Burkhead) are both good football players,” White said. “I watched those guys ever since college. It’s great to have more competition here. It’s going to bring the best out of each and every player. I think competition brings the best out of you, so you just compete with each and every one of those guys that we have and I think it’ll make the team better.”
Lawrence’s zip code
Defensive lineman Lawrence Guy wouldn’t offer any hints to his potential usage in 2017.
The 6-foot-4, 305-pounder seems destined to anchor the interior of the line along with Alan Branch, Malcom Brown and Vincent Valentine. But Guy also has experience on the edge, so he could conceivably hold down the point of attack on running downs.
The Patriots vary their 4-3 and 3-4 principles often enough that the offseason addition should have an expansive role regardless of the game plan.
“I like to be on the field, so if they put me at a position that they need me to work at, I go out there and do it,” said Guy, who signed a four-year deal worth up to $19 million this offseason. “The whole object is to be able to play (multiple) positions on the field so you can be out there the most time that you can and help out the team. If you can only do one thing, you aren’t really helping the team. If you can do multiple things, you can help the team a lot.”
So where does Guy think his best production has come in the NFL? He played coy there, too, though the self-confidence was intriguing.
“Any position I’m on the field, pretty much,” Guy said. “If you put me on the field, I’m going to do what I’ve got to do to make the play. ... We’ve all seen it and played it all, so I’m just happy to go out there and make plays.”