Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Buccaneers impending free agent LB Lavonte David is expected to test the open market next week.
While a return to Tampa Bay hasn’t been ruled out, Rapoport explains that it would be “challenging” for David to return to the Bucs, considering their current cap situation.
David told Pewter Report last month that he would like to finish out the remainder of his career in Tampa Bay.
“For sure. I’d love to retire as a Buccaneer,” David said. “Getting to play in the same building my whole career like guys like Ronde Barber and Derrick Brooks, that’d be amazing. Just to walk the same hallways they walked their whole career. Especially Derrick Brooks, you all know how I feel about Derrick. Every time he comes around, my eyes light up. So, he’s definitely a guy who I kind of want to model after, just be a guy who played with Tampa their whole career and was just a staple for what they do.”
David, 33, is a former second-round pick of the Buccaneers back in 2012. 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 is in line to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason as he’s coming off the second year of a two-year, $25 million extension he signed with the team back in 2021.
In 2022, David appeared in all 17 games and recorded 123 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, three sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and five pass defenses.
We have him included in our Top 100 – 2023 NFL Free Agents list.
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