After an uncertain few months, Tampa Bay Buccaneers legend and future Hall of Famer Lavonte David has finally made a decision about his future. Thanks to the situation with Chris Godwin, free agency will be laced with anxiety, but David is calming any fears Bucs fans might have about whether or not he'll be back.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported on Friday that David and the Buccaneers had agreed to a one-year, $10 million deal that will bring him back to Tampa Bay for a 14th season. David will be getting $9 million guaranteed, which is both money well spent and earned by everyone involved.
It's much-needed good news for Bucs fans who have been feeling a little nervous about how things will play out over the next few days as teams prepare for the legal tampering period to open on Monday.
That will all come later, though. For now, this is something to celebrate.
Lavonte David will return for a 14th season with Buccaneers in 2025
David posted a message to his Instagram account that confirmed his return, and details of the deal were released not long after.
Lavonte David posts on Instagram: “I love the game too much to give it up just yet. … Tampa I’m not done yet!” pic.twitter.com/uCbrdMOCGY
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) March 7, 2025
It was truly unclear whether David would be back, and had he decided to retire he would have been going out with a lot to be proud of. His Hall of Fame career speaks for itself, but the season he had last year was one in which he turned back the clock and looked more like a younger version of himself than one this close to the end of his career.
Thankfully that end will wait at least one more season. David's return is a boost not only to morale but helps the Bucs at least partially figure out a key positional question this offseason.
Among the many things the team needs to address, namely pass rush and the secondary, Tampa Bay's dwindling linebacker depth is cause for concern. Yaya Diaby and SirVocea Dennis are locked in, but beyond that there isn't much of a succession plan for when David eventually does walk away.
The assumption is that the Bucs will use this year's draft class to find someone to take the torch, which is why they've been linked so heavily to Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell in most mock drafts. Having David return for one more season not only bring a franchise icon back, but allows him to mentor whichever rookie ends up under his wing.
All of this is good news and worthy of celebration. Whatever else happens in free agency, whether with Godwin or anybody else, should be bridges we cross when we get to them. For now, let's just all appreciate that we live in a world where we get to watch Lavonte David play football for another season in Tampa Bay—and that's truly one of the sweetest things.
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