Lavonte David Believes Antonio Brown May Have Cost Buccaneers Another Super Bowl

Not long ago, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were chasing Super Bowl contention, but that success came after nearly a decade of mediocrity—until Tom Brady stepped in and revitalized the franchise.

The Buccaneers put together an impressive run of consistency, reaching the playoffs in five consecutive seasons before that streak came to an end in 2025. It marked one of the franchise’s most competitive stretches in recent memory, highlighted by deep postseason pushes and legitimate Super Bowl aspirations.

The peak came during the 2020 and 2021 seasons, when a veteran-led roster and strong leadership helped elevate the team into the league’s elite tier.

The Bucs made history during the 2020 season, becoming the first team in NFL history to win a Super Bowl on their home field. They appeared poised to make another run the following year, but their journey was cut short in an upset loss to the eventual Los Angeles Rams, who went on to win Super Bowl LVI.
A return trip — and even a potential back-to-back title — felt within reach, but the dynamic inside the locker room began to shift. Speaking on Bussin’ With the Boys, recently retired linebacker Lavonte David pointed to Antonio Brown’s abrupt mid-game exit against the New York Jets as a factor that disrupted the team’s momentum, suggesting it played a role in derailing their championship repeat hopes.

LVD Blames AB

“I tell you this, bro, leading up to that, you saw it stirring up, you saw it brewing. He came one day, like we were in there or whatever,” David stated. “We were in the locker room, we were chilling in the locker room. He came in there, he was complaining about how I think he didn’t score a touchdown or whatever, and I’m like, bro, you had over 100 yards, what’re you talking about? He [was] just like, pissed off. You can see that he might snap soon… To be honest with you, man, AB kind of messed up our chances of going to that second Super Bowl.”

Lavonte David offered revealing insight into the events that led up to Antonio Brown walking out of MetLife Stadium in 2022. From tense moments in the locker room to his interactions during practices and with coaches, David’s account helps piece together what ultimately pushed Brown to make that decision.
The fallout from that incident effectively ended any remaining path for Brown’s NFL career, but it also had a noticeable ripple effect on how the Buccaneers functioned throughout that season.