Lavonte David returns to Buccaneers on one-year deal

Hear that? That’s a collective sigh of relief from the city of Tampa as Josina Anderson announces that linebacker Lavonte David is returning to the Buccaneers on a one year deal;

Lavonte David has been one of the few constants on the Bucs roster since arriving in 2012. He will go down as one of the all-time greats in franchise history and he appears to be happy staying in town for at least one more year.

Despite his age - 33-years old - he had another stellar season in 2022, finishing with 124 tackles, five passes defensed, ten tackles for loss, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and three sacks.

David’s deal is for $7-million guaranteed but only adds $2.4-million to his current cap hit for the 2023 season.

While this move is a huge one to keep the consistency in the middle for Todd Bowles’ defense with David and Devin White, it won’t preclude the Bucs from taking an inside linebacker in the upcoming draft as David and White are both set to become free agents again in 2024.