Lavonte David on Tom Brady Replacing Jameis Winston: Just a Part of the Business

Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David views the addition of Tom Brady to replace Jameis Winston as a business move. 

Speaking to SiriusXM NFL Radio (h/t Pro Football Talk's Curtis Crabtree), David said the team's decision is "just a part of the business" in the NFL:

“I’ve got tremendous amounts of respect for Jameis. The athlete that he is, the person that I’ve seen him become. We’ve got a personal, private relationship that I cherish and I consider him as a friend of mine so, you know, just seeing him go is tough but I guess that’s just a part of the business and stuff that you’ve got to handle. Now we’ve got to move on and put that thing behind us and go ahead and embrace Tom Brady with open arms, man. Obviously, we’re excited to have him. I’m excited to have him in the locker room bringing that winning pedigree, that winning attitude to the locker room because as you all know we definitely need it.”

David also noted the Bucs have "always been on the brink of getting (to the playoffs) and having a couple mistakes here and there," but Brady is a player "who can erase all that."

Winston spent the past five seasons as Tampa Bay's primary starting quarterback. He has been an erratic passer throughout his career, never more than last year when he became the first player in NFL history to throw at least 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions. 

Despite Winston's struggles, the Buccaneers still finished with a respectable 7-9 record and ranked third in scoring offense (28.6 points per game).

The defense is also encouraging after allowing the 11th-fewest rushing yards (1,181) in a single season by any team since 1978. Shaquil Barrett led the NFL with 19.5 sacks and forced six fumbles. 

Even in a down season by his standards, Brady threw for 4,057 yards and 24 touchdowns with just eight interceptions in 2019.