While we might think it’s embarrassing for once-great NFL players to continue playing well past their prime, we’ve also never been offered millions of dollars per year to play any sport, anywhere.
In the face of mountains of cash, it’s a pretty safe bet to say every Tom, Dick, Mary, Harry & Larry would be lining up to do things much more embarrassing than playing professional football.
The people who need to display some levels of discernment in this process aren’t really the players — it’s the coaches and executives on the teams who pay them. They’re the ones who should know when to cut off the faucets of cash.
For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, that responsibility falls to essentially just one person, general manager Jason Licht, who is being called out for one of the NFL’s worst free agent signings in 2025.
Bucs Shouldn’t Have Brought Back Legendary LB
Pro Football Focus called the Buccaneers signing legendary veteran linebacker Lavonte David to a 1-year, $9 million contract one of the NFL’s “Worst Free Agent Signings” in 2025.
“It’s hard to entirely pick a bone with retaining a franchise legend, but David’s play nosedived in 2025,” PFF’s Bradley Locker wrote. “The former All-Pro registered a career-low 52.6 overall PFF grade, with coverage the main weakness. Indeed, David’s 132.2 passer rating when targeted was the third-worst for qualified linebackers.”
David, 36 years old, had 114 tackles, 8 TFL, 2 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries in his 14th NFL season and it’s not clear if he’ll come back for a 15th year after the Buccaneers went 8-9 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
The 2012 second round pick has $103.8 million in career earnings through the end of the 2025 season and is No. 3 in NFL career history with 1,172 solo tackles.
Buccaneers Need to Revamp Entire Defense
It might not feel fair to single out David because there is nowhere on Tampa Bay’s defense we can point to and say changes don’t need to be made in some form or fashion.
Looking at almost any NFL mock draft tells you defense is going to be the most important thing for the Buccaneers this offseason, and they’ll have a chance to get a pretty elite prospect with the No. 15 overall pick in the first round.
There’s one player who should be available at that spot who could not only replace David but set the tone for the defense for the next decade in Ohio State inside linebacker Sonny Styles.
Styles is the No. 9 overall prospect on ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest draft “Big Board” ranking of players regardless of position.
Styles, 6-foot-4 and 243 pounds, is the son of Super Bowl champion linebacke Lorenzo Styles and had 77 tackles, 7 TFL, 3 pass deflections, 1 forced fumble and 1 interception in 14 games in 2025.
“You can tell Styles is a former safety; he has outstanding speed, and his burst allows him to spy the QB,” Kiper wrote. “Watch for him to dominate at the combine and in predraft testing. Styles is also a dependable tackler and closes in a flash. He really took the next step this season, even as he adapted to a new system under defensive coordinator Matt Patricia.”
Buccaneers Called Out for NFL’s Worst Free Agent Signing