After the Buccaneers’ season came to an end in the wildcard round of the playoffs last week, linebacker Lavonte David expressed uncertainty about his playing future. The franchise icon also contemplated retirement last offseason before re-signing with the club on a one-year, $9MM accord, and according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, retirement seems to be the most likely outcome this time around.
David, who will turn 35 this week, was selected by the Bucs in the second round of the 2012 draft and has never played for another team. A pillar of reliability, availability, and consistency, the Nebraska product turned in the 11th 100-tackle season of his 13-year career in 2024, racking up 122 stops to go along with 5.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and an interception. Over the course of his career, he earned First Team All-Pro acclaim (2013) and a Pro Bowl nod (2015), and he was a key part of the club’s Super Bowl-winning run in 2020 (it is likely that he would have more individual accolades if the league didn’t group rush linebackers and non-rush ‘backers together for those purposes).
On the other hand, his abilities in coverage, which long separated him from the majority of his fellow inside linebackers, regressed in a big way last season. That was underscored by the subpar coverage grade of 56.9 that Pro Football Focus assigned to him, which was easily the lowest mark of his career.
David’s strong work against the run helped make up for his coverage deficiencies, and all things considered, PFF ranked him as the 32nd-best LB in the league out of 82 qualified players. As such, he could surely still serve as at least an early-down defender if he chooses to continue his playing career, but with nearly $100MM in career earnings and a championship ring to his name, he has nothing left to prove.
“As a grown man, you’ve got other responsibilities and other priorities to take care of,” David said. “The love of football is still there, but it probably doesn’t burn like it did when I was younger.”
Per Stroud, the Bucs are likely to draft an inside linebacker in April. The team also hopes that 2023 fifth-rounder SirVocea Dennis – who sustained a season-ending injury in Week 4 – will make a full recovery and will be able to contribute in 2025.
In the same piece linked above, Stroud discusses the rest of Tampa Bay’s impending free agent class, and he notes that the team is likely to move on from former first-rounder Joe Tryon-Shoyinka. That is not particularly surprising, since the Bucs declined JTS’ fifth-year option last April, and the edge defender did nothing in his platform campaign to make them regret that decision.
In 15 games (11 starts), Tryon-Shoyinka tallied career-lows in sacks (two), total tackles (24), and tackles for loss (three). As Stroud writes, the club is seeking a major upgrade to bookend with 2023 draftee YaYa Diaby, and GM Jason Licht is likely to pursue a pass rusher in free agency or the early rounds of the upcoming draft.
