In April 2009, the league buzzed about the pro prospects of former West Virginia quarterback Pat White. Pegged as a potential second-round pick after a strong showing at the Senior Bowl, the Scouting Combine, and his Pro Day workout, White matched former WVU quarterback (and new A.D.) Oliver Luck as the highest-drafted quarterback in school history, at No. 44 overall.
White’s career with the Dolphins ended with a thud on Saturday, waived by Miami before the start of his second NFL season.
Perhaps even more surprising is what didn’t happen by noon on Sunday. Per a league source, no one claimed White on waivers.
Given that he received a $1.538 million option bonus in 2010, White’s base salary for 2009 had dropped to $395,000, the minimum salary for a second-year player. Still, no one wanted him -- and he’ll now become a free agent who can be signed only with a minimum salary of $395,000.
Though the rookie deal apparently included some back-end stuff based on team and individual incentives, a guy regarded as a second-round talent surely would have prompted someone to pick up his contract, even if they possibly would have been augmenting a minimum salary with some incentive payments. Now, White will have to decide whether to scratch and claw for a minimum-salary NFL deal or to join the UFL (or the CFL) or to rediscover baseball, the sport about which he mused in the offseason, when it appeared that the Dolphins would ask him to move to a new position.