Lavonte David considered retiring, leaving in free agency if Bucs weren’t a playoff team

Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David has played his entire 13-year career in Tampa Bay, but he wasn’t interested in sticking around for a rebuilding project.

Which means that after Tom Brady retired, David thought he might retire or leave in free agency after the 2023 season — until the Bucs pulled off a surprise NFC South title and run to the divisional round of the playoffs. David acknowledged that the thought that 2023 would be his last season occurred to him before he and the team played so well.

“Or I would’ve moved on, just to be honest with you. But I’m happy I made the decision I made,” David said, via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.

Although 2023 was the last year of David’s contract, he said he knew this offseason that he would re-sign with the Bucs, and the negotiation was a breeze.

“Honestly, that didn’t take long,” David said. “I definitely still love the game of football. I still want to play and I still feel like I’m playing at a high level. I still feel like I can compete with the best and obviously the organization felt the same way. It was a no-brainer for me to come back. Us being competitive also played a main part in it. I’m definitely looking forward to another great season.”

After winning the Super Bowl following the 2020 season, the Bucs won the NFC South three straight years from 2021 to 2023. They’ve gotten used to winning in Tampa, and David doesn’t want to be anywhere else.