Keion White raised eyebrows earlier this week with some cryptic comments to MassLive's Karen Guregian about his future with the New England Patriots going forward.
He had plenty more to say Saturday after the Patriots' worst defeat of the season.
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Following New England's 40-7 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers at Gillette Stadium, our Patriots Insider Phil Perry caught up with White for a 1-on-1 conversation in the locker room. The second-year defensive end doubled down on the comments he made to Guregian.
"I tried to clarify some things with him, including if he meant what he said to Karen Guregian," Perry said of White on Patriots Postgame Live, as seen in the video above. "Because Jerod Mayo said during the pregame show on 98.5 The Sports Hub that what White said wasn't what he meant.
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"And Keion White tells me after the game, he meant every word, and he meant exactly what he said, and he's not taking any of it back and he's not walking it back."
Keion White tells me he meant what he said to @kguregian this week. “I don’t really care how it came across as long as we’re on the same page and my teammates know where I stand. I don’t really care how it came across. Me and Mayo had a conversation. We’re on the same page.”
— Phil Perry (@PhilAPerry) December 28, 2024
Perry then asked White -- who recorded four sacks in his first two games but has just one sack since -- if he feels like he's being "used properly" in New England's defense, and if he could have better production if he was utilized in a different way.
"(White) said that's not up to him," Perry said. "What he needs to do is, he needs to make the changes on his own. He needs to make the fixes on his own. He needs to coach himself."
To Perry, White's comments suggested that he's not a fan of the coaching he's receiving in New England. So, Perry asked White point-blank if he felt like he was getting good coaching.
"That's not for me to decide," White responded.
When Perry asked White again for his opinion on whether he's getting good coaching this season, White again responded, "It's not for me to decide. I'm not the one who makes those decisions."
In Perry's view, White not endorsing his coaches spoke volumes.
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"I think that non-answer is pretty telling," Perry said. "To me, he doesn't like the system he's in. He told me he doesn't feel like he's doing the system justice.
"He is admitting and he is taking it upon his own shoulders that he needs to perform better within the system, but the non-answers that I got from Keion White as follow-ups to all sorts of questions that he's gotten on the coaching staff and his fit here with the New England Patriots tells me he doesn't love the way he's being used. He doesn't love his fit in this scheme."
White is under contract with the Patriots through the 2026 season, so he's not going anywhere unless New England trades him. The real question will be whether White has a new defensive coordinator or position coach if the Patriots decide to part ways with DeMarcus Covington or outside linebackers coach Drew Wilkins.
Watch our PGL panel's full reaction to the Patriots' 40-7 loss below or on YouTube:
