Former Miami Dolphins and New York Jets quarterback Mike White has agreed to a two-year deal worth up to $16 million, a source tells ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Sources told ESPN on Friday that White would back up Tua Tagovailoa, who had a fifth-year option on his rookie deal.
White, who turns 28 on March 25, entered training camp as the third-string quarterback behind Zach Wilson and Joe Flacco in 2022 after starting four games for the Jets. He went 1-3 as a starter, replacing the demoted Wilson.
White beat the Chicago Bears with a 315-yard, three-touchdown game as the Jets appeared playoff-bound with a 7–4 record. However, they did not win another game, and White’s performance went below par before being forced to miss two games with multiple fractured ribs after being crushed by Buffalo Bills linebacker Matt Milano.
Still not 100%, White returned in Week 17 for the winning game against the Seattle Seahawks, but he aggravated the injury and played poorly with two interceptions in the 23–6 loss.
Although his final statistics weren’t shocking — three touchdowns, four interceptions and a 58.9% completion rate — White won over the locker room with his tenacity and leadership. He demonstrated big-play potential, throwing for over 300 yards in his two starts. He also played well enough to win the confidence of the coaching staff, who were willing to let him play for the rest of the year before he was injured.
White became an unrestricted free agent for the first time after making $2.54 million the previous season on a tender received as a restricted free agent.
It’s been a whirlwind journey for White, who has been cut five times — once by the Dallas Cowboys, who selected him in the fifth round of the 2018 draft, and four times by the Jets, who kept bringing him back because they saw potential. Now the South Florida native gets his chance to go home and play in Miami.
His signature moment came in 2021, when he started for the injured Wilson and passed for 405 yards and three touchdowns in a surprise upset of the Cincinnati Bengals, the eventual AFC champions. He set the record for most completions (37) by a player in his first start, and his jersey and game ball were displayed at the Pro Football Hall of Fame the following week.
For his career, White is 2-5 as a starter with eight touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini contributed to this report.
