When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 2024 season came to a close, linebacker Lavonte David was out of a contract and just weeks shy of his 35th birthday. But Head Coach Todd Bowles said he never doubted that the team's longest-tenured player and defensive stalwart would be back this fall.
"He was more upbeat this year than he was last year," said Bowles. "Last year, it sounded like the end; this year, it sounded like he could go some more. In my head, I said, 'He's coming back,' but I didn't know that. When he finally came back and we texted each other, it was outstanding, because that takes a lot of weight off your shoulders."
When the 11-time team captain reported to training camp on Tuesday, it marked the start of his 14th season with the Bucs. That ties him with Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks for the second most in franchise history, trailing only Rondé Barber, who played 16 seasons in Tampa.
But even after all that time, David said the game mostly feels the same as it did when he first came into the league as a second round pick out of Nebraska in 2012.
"The game doesn't change, people do the same thing but in different ways. Once you learn that and try to adjust to that, the game just slows down to you," said David.
The former Cornhusker has come a long way since then. He's made three All-Pro teams and (somehow only) one Pro Bowl. He co-captained the defense that held the Kansas City Chiefs to nine points in the Bucs' Super Bowl LV victory. In the process, David has racked up the most fumble recoveries (19), second-most tackles (1,600) and third-most starts (198) in team history.
"In my 14 years of playing, I've probably played with five defensive coordinators," said David. "Each defense, I adapted to it and I made it what's good for me – I prevailed in each one. So, just adapting, taking what I learned from those defenses, and putting it into my game right now."
The former Nebraska Cornhusker isn't just climbing up franchise leaderboards. His 1,600 total tackles are the eighth most of any player since the NFL began tracking the stat in 1994, and four of the seven players ahead of him have busts in Canton. With a strong season, he could climb to sixth place by the end of the year. His 1,109 solo tackles, meanwhile, rank fifth all-time, and he's on pace to take fourth place just a few games into the upcoming season.
And David is still going strong. The Florida native is coming off of a 5.5-sack, 122-tackle campaign for the NFC South champions, his 11th time surpassing the 100-tackle mark. He was the only player in the league last season to record over 100 tackles, 5.0 sacks and three forced-fumbles.
"It's just fun to see all of that just come together – all of the things that you learn from your rookie year all the way until now and putting it into fruition and watch yourself and see your product on the field, how you're moving through stuff like that and how you adapt to the game the way it's played now," said David.
