Lavonte David, Bucs Agree to $10M Contract in NFL Free Agency; Updated Salary Cap

Three-time All-Pro linebacker Lavonte David is returning to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a 14th season.

Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, David and the Bucs agreed to terms on a one-year, $10 million contract with $9 million guaranteed.

Prior to the deal, the Buccaneers had just under $9 million in cap space, per Spotrac.

David has spent his entire career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was originally a second-round pick in the 2012 draft and immediately went into the starting lineup as a rookie.

For the first nine years of his career, David was one of the best linebackers in the NFL. He made the All-Pro first team in his second season and was a second-team selection twice (2016, 2020).

David was a member of the Bucs team that won Super Bowl 55 during the 2020 season. He has been playing on one-year contracts in each of the past two years, but admitted to briefly considering retirement after the 2023 season.

"Honestly, that didn't take long," David told Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times in June 2024. "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."

There was uncertainty again this offseason about whether David was going to play in 2025. Stroud noted after the Bucs' playoff loss to the Washington Commanders that retirement seemed to be the most likely option for David.

Instead, the Bucs convinced David to give it a go for at least one more season. He's not the same level of athlete from his peak years, but he remains a tackling machine with 122 combined tackles and 5.5 sacks in 17 starts during the 2024 campaign.