Super Bowl contender emerges as potential threat to steal Lavonte David away from Bucs
Lavonte David wearing another uniform next season would be a tragedy.
By Josh Hill
Re-signing Baker Mayfield remains a top priority for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but he's not the only free agent that needs some attention.
Last week the Bucs checked off two major boxes, franchise tagging Antoine Winfield Jr. and re-signing Mike Evans. Things seem to be progressing with Baker, but free agency opens in three days and Tampa Bay has to find a way to devote resources to bringing back Lavonte David.
David is set to become a free agent when the new league year begins, and other teams around the league can start talking to him when the legal tampering period opens on Monday.
It's not a slam dunk that David comes back. He's made it clear he would like to retire having only played for the Buccaneers but acknowledged that anything can happen in free agency and another team might swoop in and sign him if Tampa Bay doesn't make a move.
Super Bowl contender viewed as potential landing spot for Lavonte David
According to NFL insider Jeremy Fowler, the San Francisco 49ers could be the team that swoops in and steals David away from the Buccaneers in free agency.
"One potential team to watch for him is San Francisco," Fowler reported. "The 49ers are in the market because of Dre Greenlaw's Achilles injury but might not spend at the top of it.
San Francisco is a pretty decent option for David, although returning to Tampa Bay still makes the most sense.
We've been down this road before, as it was speculated last offseason that David would be poached by a contending team only for him to re-sign a few days later. That could be where we are headed once again, as all indications have been that there's mutual interest in another reunion.
David made some Bucs fans nervous with his comments on GMFB, but he hasn't wavered in his stance that he wants to spend his entire career in Tampa Bay. Another guy also recently said that, as Mike Evans came back to the Bucs on a two-year deal despite how likely it seemed he'd test the market.
If Evans is back, there should be little doubt that David will follow. The front office wants him back, the locker room wants him back, and David wants to come back -- all of that suggests that no amount of outside interest at this point in his career will shake things up.
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