Lavonte David has enjoyed a historic 14-year career for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and it's finally coming to a close. The 35-year-old is far from his prime, but has performed steadily throughout his later years.
Entering Week 18, David is entering elite company and is just seven tackles behind the Buccaneers' all-time tackle leader Derrick Brooks. Brooks, who spent 14 seasons in Tampa Bay from 1995 to 2008, was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2014.
It's not quite Mike Evans and the 1,000-yard streak, but something to watch Saturday for Bucs: Lavonte David needs seven tackles to pass Derrick Brooks for the franchise career record of 1,714 tackles. He's gotten 7+ in half of his 16 games this season, so a close call.
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) December 30, 2025
Brooks is no doubt the greatest linebacker in Bucs history, but David is not far behind. David is far and away the leader in tackles for loss in Buccaneers' history since the stat was introduced in 1999. He is also atop the franchise's forced fumble leaderboard, proving his all-time greatness.
While he doesn't boast the mass amount of Pro Bowl appearances or All-Pro team nods, he's led the Buccaneers' defense for over a decade.
Lavonte David must return to Tampa Bay for one last hoorah!
On the 2020 Super Bowl-winning defense, David led an elite linebacker core with Devin White, Shaquil Barrett, and Jason Pierre-Paul. David had three forced fumbles, 12 tackles for loss, and six passes defended, which earned him second-team All-Pro honors.
Fans and writers alike speculate that David will retire after this season, but he's not slowing down. Since 2020, he's led the Bucs in tackles four of five seasons, all consecutive, including this year. Whether or not he'll retire is undecided, but he's not playing like someone who might.
Looking toward Week 18, David just needs seven tackles to break the franchise record, but he hasn't overcome that number recently. David has seven or more tackles once over the last five weeks. The only game with more was Week 16 against the Panthers where he secured 10 tackles.
Over his career, he's dominated the Panthers, but not as much as other NFC South foes. David has 7.5 career sacks and 10 QB hits over his 14 year career in 24 games against the Panthers.
He's sacked Bryce Young and Cam Newton, bridging generational gaps on the Buccaneers defense and between rival quarterbacks.
His talent, despite age is unmatched, and precedent proves his massive opportunity this week. If he's unable to overtake Books for the record, fans will beg and plead for his return in 2026. Unfortunately, fans must wait a little bit longer for that decision, but he'd desperately needed next season to aid the difficult-to-watch defense.