Tampa Bay Buccaneers legend Lavonte David recently announced his retirement, which helped him accomplish the special feat of playing a long, productive career with just one team. David was drafted by the Bucs in the second round of the 2012 Draft, and played 14 straight seasons with the franchise.
That kind of story is rare in today’s sports’ landscape, and David admitted that it almost wasn’t his path. In a Wednesday appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, the linebacker was asked if it was always his goal to be a one-team guy. David expressed that he never put much thought into just playing for one team, and told a story about the time he asked out of Tampa Bay, to emphasize his point.
The linebacker pointed to the 2019 offseason, when the Buccaneers fired Dirk Koetter and hired Bruce Arians to be the team’s head coach. David detailed how before Arians was hired, he went to Bucs general manager Jason Licht, and his agent, and expressed that he felt it was time to move on. Citing all the changes, the linebacker felt it just made sense to part ways with the franchise.
David made it clear that he was open to being traded or released, but, fortunately, Tampa Bay had different plans.
"I never thought about playing for one team my entire career..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 25, 2026
I'm glad I stayed in Tampa Bay and I'm a Super Bowl champion" ~ @LavonteDavid54 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/fs1hXpSnWe
Lavonte David details trying to leave Buccaneers before Bruce Arians was hired
David said the franchise had no plans to let him out the building, instead wanting him to be a pillar for the new era of Bucs football. Once the linebacker spoke with Arians and Todd Bowles, he was convinced that it would be best for him to stay in Tampa Bay, sensing that a good change was on the way. The rest is history.
That history includes David playing seven more seasons with the team, winning a Super Bowl, and helping Tampa Bay dominate the NFC South — something the franchise didn’t do in the early part of David’s career. Additionally, he cemented himself as a franchise legend. While it’s possible to do that even when playing for another team, David will always occupy a special place in the hearts of Bucs fans since he did only wear one uniform.