The Buccaneers have signed two free agent linebackers, and one other Lavonte David contract shouldn’t be forthcoming. The stalwart Tampa Bay defender will retire after 14 seasons.
David will retire as a career-long Buccaneer and one in every of the best players in franchise history. He joins Mike Evans in leaving the team this offseason, representing a sea change for a Bucs squad that has relied on those longtime anchors amid a franchise turnaround.
“When it’s time, when , . I at all times desired to be a man who desired to retire by myself terms. Immediately is the right opportunity for that,” David said via Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderame. “For me, man, 14 years is enough. I’m comfortable with my decision. I’m satisfied with my profession.
“Once I first got into the league, I never, never, ever in 1,000,000 years expected to play 14 years at a high level for a similar organization. I feel it’s time that I hang it up and let the following generation of players are available in and take over the sport.”
David’s 14-year tenure matches Derrick Brooks‘ for longevity in Tampa. Like Brooks, David was present as a star off-ball linebacker for a Super Bowl win. The Bucs had fallen removed from their early-2000s apex by the point David arrived in 2012. The off-ball linebacker joined Evans, Tom Brady and Co. in catalyzing a return, snapping a 12-season playoff drought with a Super Bowl LV triumph in Tampa.
Playing 215 profession games, David trails only Brooks (224) and Ronde Barber (241) for many in franchise history. Each Brooks and Barber — linchpins on a four-Hall of Famer defense that steamrolled opponents en path to the franchise’s first Super Bowl title — spent their entire careers as Buccaneers. While Evans elected to hitch the 49ers in free agency this month, David had previously said it was Bucs or retirement. He’ll select the latter route, completing a profession that can warrant Canton consideration down the road.
David, who turned 36 in January, will walk away a three-time All-Pro. While the Nebraska alum only earned one Pro Bowl nod, his early-career years coming in a 4-3 defense had plenty to do with the shortage of Pro Bowl accolades. The Pro Bowl grouping all linebackers — 3-4 edge rushers and off-ball defenders — together frequently limits 4-3 OLBs. David, nonetheless, spent the second half of his profession as a 3-4 ILB in Todd Bowles‘ scheme. The Bucs benefited from that partnership tremendously, with David starting every game for the Super Bowl LV-winning Tampa Bay edition in 2020.
Mark Dominik drafted David 58th overall, tabbing him to play under latest HC Greg Schiano. David ended up playing for five head coaches — Schiano, Lovie Smith, Dirk Koetter, Bruce Arians, Bowles — and signed five Buccaneers contracts. The latter 4 deals — including a five-year, $50.25MM extension through the 2015 offseason — got here under longtime GM Jason Licht. David signed a two-year deal and two subsequent one-year accords to proceed with the Bucs, who benefited from the linebacker’s consistency and flexibility.
Ending with 12 100-tackle seasons, David added 42.5 sacks. Amongst players who saw motion last season, that total trails only Demario Davis (45) for sacks by a non-rush player and is amongst probably the most by an off-ball ‘backer within the sack era (1982-present). David’s presence helped a Bucs team light on post-Shaquil Barrett pass-rushing talent in recent times.
Although the Bucs selected Devin White fifth overall in 2019, David ended up outlasting him in Tampa. The team let White walk in free agency in 2024, re-signing David on a one-year deal price $8.5MM. David, who drew outside interest as a 2025 UFA, played for $9MM last season; he produced 114 tackles and three.5 sacks. David finished 10 seasons with double-digit tackles for loss, recording a minimum of 17 in five seasons to complete his profession with 177.
Pro Football Focus ranked David as a top-five off-ball LB in five seasons and slotted him in the highest 20 three more times. Last season, the advanced metrics website ranked David 66th — a career-worst placement — but he played through a knee injury that required arthroscopic surgery this past winter. The Bucs have since agreed to terms with Alex Anzalone and Christian Rozeboom. With David retiring, Rozeboom’s deal — which surfaced Monday — looks set to position him as a starter alongside Anzalone.
For his profession, David earned just greater than $103MM. The 2012 draft will go down as among the finest linebacker classes in modern NFL history, having produced David, Davis, Bobby Wagner and Luke Kuechly. Wagner will join Kuechly in Canton, while David and Davis will present interesting cases. For 2026, a Bucs team big on retention might want to get by without its offensive and defensive cornerstones.