The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have already endured the loss of 1 of their most legendary players this offseason — it’s time to get ready for another 1 to walk out the door.
Legendary Buccaneers inside linebacker Lavonte David is expected to announce his retirement at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon — ending a 14-year career in which he was a 3-time NFL All-Pro, Super Bowl champion and is 4th in NFL history with 1,172 career tackles.
“Bucs linebacker Lavonte David will have a news conference today at 2 pm at One Buc Place, the team announced,” Tampa Bay Times NFL reporter Rick Stroud wrote on his official X account on Tuesday. “Speculation is that he may retire after the team signed a second veteran inside linebacker Monday by reaching an agreement on a one year deal with Carolina free agent Christian Rozeboom.”
The Buccaneers signed 2 free agents who were starting inside linebackers for other teams last season with Rozeboom and former Detroit Lions standout Alex Anzalone.
“Bucs will have a press conference at 2 today involving linebacker Lavonte David,” Fox Sports NFL reporter Greg Auman wrote on his official X account. “No specifics but all signs point to him announcing his retirement after 14 seasons in Tampa.”
“He has spent all 14 years of his career in Tampa Bay and has said he’s only playing for the Bucs or retiring,” The 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov wrote on his official X account.
The Buccaneers lost another franchise legend on March 9, when NFL All-Pro wide receiver Mike Evans left for a 3-year, $42.4 million free agent contract with the San Francisco 49ers.
“All members of the Bucs organization were notified yesterday about the scheduled press conference for today,” Bleacher Report’s James Palmer wrote on X. “It was all the talk in the building. It sure will feel different in Tampa Bay in 2026 without Mike Evans and Lavonte David.”
From Junior College to Big 12 to NFL Stardom
Playing for legendary Miami Northwestern High School, David helped lead his teams to consecutive state championships, featuring 8 future NFL players, and won a USA Today national championship during his senior year in 2007.
David’s career took a slight detour to the middle of nowhere as he spent his 1st 2 college seasons at Fort Scott (Kansas) Community College — a school where they don’t even have a football program anymore — and helped lead them to a national runner-up finish in 2009.
He was a 2-time All-Big Ten pick and 2-time All-American at Nebraska before the Buccaneers selected David in the 2nd round (No. 58 overall) in the 2012 NFL draft and made him a plug-and-play starter from Day 1.
Few defensive players in NFL history have been as durable as David, who only missed 14 regular-season games in 14 seasons and never missed more than 5 games in a single season.
Will Lavonte David End Up in Pro Football HOF?
There will be a robust debate on whether David should land in the Pro Football Hall of Fame once he’s eligible — and if he doesn’t end up there, he has a mountain of cash to comfort him with.
In 14 seasons, he has approximately $103.6 million in career earnings, making him 1 of the highest-paid inside linebackers in NFL history.
Report: Legendary Bucs LB Expected to Announce Retirement