The Bucs have a lot of tough decisions and tasks to make this offseason. One of the choices they have to figure out is the inside linebacker position and if they can re-sign veteran team captain Lavonte David.

The longest-tenured Buc is a free agent heading into this offseason. He’s coming off of a year where he was fully healthy, playing in every regular season game and Tampa Bay’s playoff game as well. While David might not be making all of the splash plays and creating turnovers like when he was an All-Pro caliber player years ago, he’s still a very consistent player and a man that his teammates look up to.

David tied for the team lead with 124 tackles, sharing it with fellow inside linebacker and protege Devin White. He also had three sacks, one forced fumble, one sack and five pass breakups. He’s spent his whole career in Tampa Bay, but this offseason is a different situation than usual.

Does David want to retire as a Buc?

“Of course, of course. Who wouldn’t?” David said. “They trusted me for 11 years. I’ve been a captain eight or nine of those 11 years. I definitely enjoy my time here and would love to finish my career here. But like I said, just got a lot to think about. I’m just going to take this time to embrace the moment, the free time that I have, spend time with my family and go from there.”

David Could Have Other Suitors

There will be a number of options on the table for David this offseason if he wants to keep playing. He was ranked as the seventh best available free agent according to Pro Football Focus. Not only will linebacker-needy teams be interested, but Tampa Bay has one of the worst salary cap situations heading into the offseason as they are $54.4 million over the cap.

Bucs LB Lavonte David and Bengals QB Joe Burrow – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

What if David can get another pay day and the Bucs just can’t afford it? Take a the situation with Rams’ inside linebacker Bobby Wagner as a good comparison. Wagner, who is the same age of 32 as David, spent the first 10 years of his career with the Seahawks where he was one of the best linebackers in the NFL along with David and won a Super Bowl. In 2022, Wagner signed a five-year, $50 million deal with the Rams that could be worth up to $65 million. Even though only $10 million is guaranteed, that’s still a nice payout for an agin linebacker.

And that’s where the Tom Brady factor plays a hand as well. If Brady decides to come back the Bucs are obviously in a much better situation to reach the postseason and go on one last Super Bowl run. Should Brady retire or decide to play somewhere else, the idea of returning to the Bucs doesn’t sound as a appealing when they could be in a rebuilding mode. David would have his choices of where to go and may pick a team that looks to have a better shot at a championship.

That’s essentially would Wagner thought he was going into. The Rams had just won the Super Bowl and looked ready to contend again, lost receivers in free agency and injuries derailed their season. No situation is guaranteed, but David could at least position himself in what looks like the best case to play with another winner.

The Bucs Need David

Bucs ILB Lavonte David – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Tampa Bay is in dire straits if they don’t have David back on the team next season. They are razor thin at inside linebacker, only having Devin White and K.J. Britt on the roster while also recently signing J.J. Russell to a futures contract. We know the ups and downs that White has last season, but outside of White, the Bucs don’t have another viable option.

Britt and Russell played all of the second half in the Bucs’ Week 18 game against the Falcons and struggled heavily. They are better suited for special teams rather than a defensive role. If they don’t get David back, Tampa Bay would have to sign a veteran inside linebacker or strongly consider taking one in an early round of the draft.

There’s still a lot of allure for David to return. But of course, if he retires this is all a moot point. Not many players get to finish their careers playing just for one team, not even Brady did it. He’d be in rare company around the NFL. He’d also have the benefit of familiarity. David knows the players, coaches, staff, the facilities and the area. He wouldn’t have to upstart and move somewhere else that he may not enjoy as much compared to what Tampa, Florida, has to offer.

Whatever his decision is, David will be back at Raymond James Stadium on way or another. He’ll be a Ring of Honor member with the other Bucs greats when he decides to finish his career. David spoke about if he’s thought about making it into the most infamous and celebrated group in the franchise’s history.

“Obviously it would be incredible to have my name go up in a pro football stadium,” David said. “As a kid, you never really thought of something like that, but now that it could possibly be a reality it’s kind of mind blowing. Your name going up next to guys like Derrick Brooks, who you kind of watched and kind of idolized and then Ronde, who you actually played with. I didn’t really think about it till now, it’s definitely an incredible, incredible moment. For real.”