Buccaneers LB Lavonte David Unsure About Playing In 2026

In a recent podcast appearance, Buccaneers LB Lavonte David said he still hasn’t decided if he’s going to play another season of football in 2026. 

David said it’s not a question of whether he still believes he can play at a high level for a 15th season at the age of 36, it’s a question of whether the time the sport demands is worth the tradeoff at this point in his life. 

“I feel good,” David said on the Caps Off podcast via JoeBucsFan.com. “You know, I’m healthy. I’m happy. I’m undecided [on retiring]. I’m genuinely undecided, like I don’t know. I don’t know. I still got a lot of football left in me. I know that for sure. I still love the game. I know that for sure. The other side is I want to spend more time with my daughter. She’s in school, so [I’ve been] taking her to school and it’s a good feeling.”

While the veteran linebacker is due to be a free agent, he and the Buccaneers would likely be able to work out a one-year pact like they have in each of the past three seasons. 

David, 36, is a former second-round pick of the Buccaneers back in 2012 out of Nebraska. He played out the final year of his six-year, $51.11 million contract that included $25.56 million guaranteed and made a base salary of $10.75 million for the 2020 season. 

David then signed a two-year, $25 million extension back in 2021. Since playing out that deal, he’s returned on a series of one-year contracts, the most recent worth $9 million. 

In 2025, David appeared in all 17 games for the Buccaneers and recorded 114 total tackles, eight tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, two recoveries, an interception and three pass deflections.

We have him included in our Top 100 2026 NFL Free Agents list.