Bucs followers have lengthy dreaded the day they’ll should say goodbye to franchise legend Lavonte David. However on Friday night time, that day was pushed off into the longer term for one more yr.
David took to Instagram to announce that he could be returning for one more season, his 14th within the NFL. Round that very same time, information hit Twitter/X that he’s re-signing with the Bucs on one other one-year deal. The contract, based on an preliminary report by NFL Community’s Ian Rapoport, is price $10 million with $9 million assured.
Lavonte David’s Legacy With The Bucs Continues
Commanders QB Jayden Daniels and Bucs ILB Lavonte David – Photograph by: Cliff Welch/PR
David will stay the longest-tenured participant on the Bucs’ roster. Former basic Mark Dominik chosen him within the second spherical of the 2012 draft, and he has performed all 13 of his NFL seasons in Tampa Bay. Now, he will get a 14th in 2025.
He has lengthy been thought-about among the finest linebackers of his technology, usually mentioned as a part of a “Large 4” from the 2010s that included Demario Davis, Luke Kuechly and Bobby Wagner. Because it presently stands, David outpaces the opposite three for his or her careers in tackles, pressured fumbles and fumble recoveries. He trails solely Davis in sacks and his 13 interceptions are tied with Wagner for second behind Kuechly.
Regardless of his constant top-tier performances, David has usually been missed for league-wide reward and awards as a consequence of Tampa Bay’s low market recognition and the Bucs’ lack of success from 2012-2019. He was a primary crew All-Professional in 2013 and second crew in 2016. He acquired a Professional Bowl nod in 2015 as properly.
However that’s it. David would obtain one other second crew All Professional choice in 2020 throughout the crew’s second Tremendous Bowl run. However sadly, that’s the totality of David’s distinctions up to now.
Regardless of enjoying for 5 head coaches, David has remained a continuing on protection. His first 4 seasons made for one of many best linebacker stretches of all time. He posted 577 tackles, 68 TFL’s, 13.0 sacks, 31 PD, 9 INT’s, 8 FF and 4 FR. Even throughout Kuechly’s 2013 Defensive Participant of the Yr marketing campaign, David outperformed him in almost each statistical class.
Past the numbers on the paper, David has a legacy with the Bucs that features him being ‘The Customary’ the crew appears to be like for in each participant they carry into the constructing. Normal supervisor Jason Licht has described him as such.
“He’s the poster little one actually for us,” Licht stated. “We’ve an image of a silhouette in our draft room that claims, ‘I’m that man.’ It’s the individual that we would like in a participant – the traits, or a few of them that we simply stated – and it doesn’t present his face, however it’s Lavonte. He’s the one which we search for yearly. He’s the usual.”
Yr-in, year-out, he has introduced a workman-like presence, a quiet management and a degree of play that challenged his teammates to match not simply each recreation, however each apply.
That quiet resolve paid off in 2020, as Licht would import somebody on the opposite facet of the ball that may match his excellence. Quarterback Tom Brady helped David attain the head of the sport because the crew gained Tremendous Bowl LV. That season, he totaled 117 tackles, 12 TFL’s, 1.5 sacks, 1 INT, 6 PD’s, 3 FF and a pair of FR.
Bucs ILB Lavonte David – Photograph by: USA In the present day
David’s play has began to fall off in recent times. He missed 5 video games in 2021 and one other two in 2023. This previous season, his Professional Soccer Focus grade was south of 70.0 for the primary time in eight seasons and his protection grade was lower than 60.0 for the primary time ever.
However clearly, he and Tampa Bay each really feel that he nonetheless has one thing left to offer on the age of 34.
As he has been contemplating retirement for a few years now, he and the crew have moved to a year-by-year mannequin with respects to his contracts.
For his profession, he ranks second in crew historical past in solo tackles (1,111), first in assisted tackles (491), first in tackles for loss (169), twelfth in interceptions (13), fifth in passes defensed (70), sixth in sacks (39.0), first in pressured fumbles (31) and first in fumble recoveries (19). He’s additionally eighth all-time within the NFL in mixed tackles (1,602) and tied for twenty seventh in pressured fumbles.
He’ll little question be a right away inductee into the Bucs Ring of Honor as soon as his profession reaches its finish. However for now, these plans might be placed on maintain as No. 54 will return for one more season in Tampa Bay.
