Buccaneers safety Jordan Whitehead will miss the team’s Week 18 game on Sunday after getting into a car accident on Saturday.
Tampa Bay said it was placing the defensive back on the reserve/non-football injury list after he was injured on the way to the team facility.
“Jordan Whitehead was involved in an auto accident this morning on his way to our practice facility,” the team said in a statement. “Due to injuries sustained in the accident, he will not play in Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints and has been placed on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury (NFI) list.”
It’s not clear what injuries Whitehead suffered, but ESPN reported he was “alert” and undergoing tests at a hospital.
The Tampa Bay Times reported Whitehead is expected to have a full recovery but is likely to miss multiple weeks.
In his place, the team signed safety Ryan Neal from the practice squad to the active roster.
On Sunday, the Buccaneers will need a win or tie over the Saints or a Falcons loss or tie against the Panthers to clinch a playoff spot.
The 27-year-old Whitehead, drafted by Tampa Bay in 2018 and a Super Bowl winner in 2021, returned to the Buccaneers this season after spending 2022 and 2023 with the Jets.
He had a career-high four interceptions last year in New York, three of them memorably coming in Week 1 against Josh Allen and the Bills.
Whitehead started 12 games this season, recording 79 tackles and three passes defended.