Lavonte David spent 14 years in the NFL – all with the Buccaneers. Upon announcing his retirement on Tuesday, it cemented that his entire career would be with one team here in Tampa Bay. During the apex of his career, David was one of the best players in the league, let alone as an inside linebacker. David could’ve gone to other teams the several times he became a free agent, but each time he came back home and re-signed with the Bucs.

It could’ve been easy for David to jump ship, especially early in his career when the team wasn’t playing well. But thank goodness he remained with the team as the tides turned and he eventually won a Super Bowl with the Bucs and consistently reached the postseason. The relationships he’s formed with countless people is a big reason why it was always about continuing – and ultimately ending – his career in a Bucs uniform.

Lavonte David On Staying With The Bucs For 14 Seasons

“They wouldn’t let me go,” Lavonte David teased when asked why he stayed in Tampa Bay for all 14 of his illustrious seasons in the NFL. “I’m joking man, for real it’s just I built so many great relationships here. A lot of people, like I just said, touched them, a lot of people who I built relationships here kind of impacted me in different ways. I couldn’t just up-and-leave, when I start a battle I want to finish the battle. I always say things get greater later and that indeed it did.

“I’m thankful for the Glazers, the Bucs, [general manager] Jason [Licht], Coach [Todd] Bowles, Coach ‘B.A.’ (Bruce Arians), those guys wanted me to stick around and wanted me to be around to help continue to mold this program into what they want to be. I think I was a big part of getting the job done.”

Bucs ILB Lavonte David – Photo by: Cliff Welch P/R

Despite it being the offseason while many players are vacationing before the start of the conditioning program, several of David’s past and current teammates showed up for his retirement press conference.

“As you can see, we [have] guys in this auditorium who – Tristan Wirfs, Antoine Winfield Jr., Tykee [Smith] – my little bro – ‘Nelly’ (Anthony Nelson), guys like that who are kind of the foundation of what it takes to be a Buccaneer. I know guys who I played with in the past, ‘Donny’ (Donovan Smith), Gerald [McCoy], those guys, ‘JPP’ (Jason Pierre-Paul) who is not here, but I talked to him before we got here.

“Those guys are people who I want to be around, people who I want to build with, people who I want to win with. Those guys can tell you I’d do anything for them. It’s just something about sticking with what you started with and it takes you a long way. That’s just something that, like I said, something that I never dreamed of and it ended up happening, but I represent it with pride.”

The Moment Where Lavonte David Almost Left The Bucs

Lavonte David gave great insight about a time that he almost left the franchise, and it coincided with the new regime that included Todd Bowles as defensive coordinator and Bruce Arians as head coach in 2019. Bowles’ 3-4 defensive scheme is different than the 4-3 defense he played throughout his career until that point in time.

Thankfully, it took some convincing by Jason Licht, but David agreed to stay and the rest is history. Just one season after the arrival of Arians and Bowles, David became a Super Bowl champion.

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles and ILB David Lavonte – Photo by: Matt Matera/PR

“There was another point in my career where there was another coaching change coming and I thought it might be a changing of the guard or a cleaning-house situation,” David said. “But Jason and those guys reached out to me and told me, ‘Nah, man, we want you to be a part of this and this is going to turn around and we’re going to do it for you.’

“When they said that, I was like, ‘Dang, for me? Y’all want me to be a part of this?’ I was like, ‘I don’t know … it’s a whole new scheme, Coach Bowles is coming with a 3-4 system, I’ve played in a 4-3 my whole career…I don’t know how to adjust to that. They told me, ‘You’re going to have fun. Trust me, you’re going to love it.’ I just remember telling Coach Bowles during the first meeting, ‘Yeah, yeah, this is what I like to do right here. I appreciate it. I think I’m going to have fun in this.’ Him and those guys helped me have fun with the game again and it shows every time I’m out there on the field.”

Lavonte David Thanks Bucs Fans

It wouldn’t be Lavonte David if he didn’t give a shoutout to Bucs fans as well. During his very emotional speech in which he talked about how important his parents were to him and how impactful it’s been for him to become a father, he also ended his press conference thanking the fans for their support over the years.

Former Bucs ILB David Lavonte and daughter Logan – Photo by: Matt Matera/PR

“Thank you guys so much,” Lavonte David said. “I love the Krewe forever. The fans – you guys are amazing, you guys are incredible. You guys [were] always my motivation. You guys [helped] wake me up in the morning to keep me going to be able to play the game at a high level for this long – you guys were a part of that. I thank you guys dearly for that, as well. Trust me, this thing around here is going to continue to get better and continue to get greater. At the end of the day, I will always be a Buccaneer.

“As always, it’s Bucs for life.”