Ring of Honor and Lavonte David are synonymous at this point. The 11-year Bucs vet will surely be enshrined in the team’s Ring of Honor shortly after he decides to hang up his cleats. And with each passing year, that decision to retire becomes a more likely outcome.
But based off of his appearance on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football on Thursday, it does not sound like that decision will be made this year.
David was asked specifically if he was ready to retire or if he wanted to continue to play. His response tells a story of someone who still has gas left in the tank he wants to use.
“Man, I’m ready to play. I still feel like I’ve got a lot left in me,” David said. “Still going to give it a shot. I’m going to let my body tell me when it’s time to give up and when it’s time to let it go. But right now, I feel pretty good. I’ve got a lot of confidence.
“Especially after the season we just had. I’ve been hearing a lot of praise and stuff like that. For a guy like me, up there in age, I like to hear that. So, it definitely gives me confidence to keep it going.”
Could Lavonte David Move On To Another Team?
Lavonte David was asked by Peter Schrager following that comment whether he and his representation had heard from the Bucs regarding a new contract that would keep him in Tampa Bay in 2024 and create one more step in an effort to allow him to retire a Buc.
“Communication hasn’t really started up yet. Or nothing like that. But throughout the season and exit meetings we all expressed how we feel about one another. And how they would love for me to be back. And I would love to be back as well. But this is like my third free agency. [I’m] just figuring out how everything goes down. You never know what can happen. There’s a lot of mutual respect from me and the Buccaneers organization.
“But a lot of things have to happen. And you just never know, never know. I said it before, I would love to retire a Buccaneer. Be up there with all those great names, those guys. But in a way I’m not naive to the fact that somebody else can probably come swoop me up. But I’m definitely open to all options. But I would love to obviously finish out my career here.”
On Tuesday, Bucs general manager Jason Licht spoke about Lavonte David being one of the free agent priorities for the team to bring back next year and even went so far as to say that the team had been in touch with David about re-signing him.
“We’ve started talks with Baker. We’ve started with Mike, Antoine, Tristan, Lavonte… I think they’re going well,” Licht said.
Later when asked about some of the Bucs’ young linebackers, Licht once again steered the conversation to bringing David back.
“Very excited about those guys. I thought JJ [Russell] did a nice job too for us when he stepped in as a starter,” Licht said. “We’d like to have Lavonte [David] back. Put him on the Mount Rushmore of Bucs, I think everybody would. He had a hell of a year. We’d like to have him back too, but we are excited about that young group.”
He would later conclude his media availability by once again prioritizing the veteran linebacker.
“We’re focused on signing ours [free agents] right now,” Licht said. “I mean, if we can re-sign Mike, Baker, Lavonte, Chase, Antoine and Tristan, we should be throwing another boat parade. That’s a pretty good class there.”
Despite a very good relationship between the two parties, it is strange that Licht has stated they have been in contact with David’s camp about bringing him back while David himself has said those conversations have not begun just yet.
Bucs May Have To Give Lavonte David A Raise
Last year, amidst a precarious cap situation, Lavonte David signed a one-year, $4.5 million contract that paled in comparison to what he could have earned if he chose to sign elsewhere. That contract included a bevy of achievable, but technically “Not Likely to be Earned” incentives that ended up pushing his total earnings on that deal to $7.325 million.
Based on David’s comments and the fact that the Bucs have a lot more cap space this year, it is likely his new deal will need to be larger in terms of base salary/bonuses. There is not much in his play that would suggest that he has not earned the bigger payday.
His 134 combined tackles were the most he has had since 2015 and his 4.5 sacks were his most since 2016. He has not appeared to have lost a step in coverage and continues to perform near the top of the league as an all-around linebacker.
All signs point towards the hopefully future hall of famer David continuing his prolific career for at least one more season. Chances are high that will once again be in Tampa Bay. But as Lavonte David himself has said, “you just never know.”
You can view the segment of Good Morning Football here.
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