Tampa Bay Buccaneers legendary inside linebacker Lavonte David has a difficult decision to make this offseason about coming back for another year, but maybe Bobby Wagner's decision to continue with the Washington Commanders, as reported by NFL insider Jordan Schultz, will subtly sway him to choose to stay.
The Buccaneers are obviously going to respect David's decision either way, but because of how much he means to Bucs fans personally and because of how horrible the Bucs linebackers are even with him, the vast majority of Tampa Bay is pulling for the No. 54 to stay on Dale Mabry.
At this point, every tackle David makes and every Pro Bowl bid is a building of his resume to be enshrined in Canton as a Hall of Famer. There's even momentum from old rivals, like former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton, to help get him there, as relayed by Joe Bucs Fan from the NFL Scouting Combine.
Lavonte David may be motivated by Bobby Wagner
In that vein, Wagner's situation is worth keeping in mind here. There are only so many inside linebackers who are going to get into the Hall of Fame from his era, and Wagner was easily one of the best, too, with statistics that pop out more than David's - and he also had a Super Bowl ring, except without the shadow of Tom Brady, as well as a rogue MVP vote from former Bucs legendary head coach Tony Dungy once upon a time.
Last season, Wagner, even at 35, was still one of the best linebackers in the league on an awful Commanders team, posting a jaw-dropping 162 tackles with elite blitzing numbers and even strong work in coverage.
Now, David was no slouch either with 114 tackles to his name, but on a truly atrocious Buccaneers offense, his numbers pale in comparison. Wagner is as close as it gets to a slam dunk at the inside linebacker position from the 2010s and 2020s era of the NFL, but David can keep up with him by playing one more season on what will hopefuly be an improved Buccaneers defense.
That should be a selling point for David, too, that the Bucs are going to add someone like Sonny Styles, Arvell Reese, or another top linebacker prospect with the 15th overall pick to give him both a mentee to carry on his legacy and some immediate help at the position, too.