Buccaneers LB Lavonte David, 12-time captain, retires from NFL

Tampa, Florida– buccaneers inside linebacker Lavonte David — the 12-time captain, a key member of their Super Bowl LV-winning team in 2020 and the longest-tenured player on the Bucs’ current roster — is retiring after 14 seasons.

David, who turned 36 in January, will discuss his decision at a news conference Tuesday at the AdventHealth Training Center auditorium.

Since entering the league in 2012, David ranks first in solo tackles (1,171), while ranking second with 177 tackles for loss. He was selected to the NFL’s 2010 All-Decade Team. He is one of just three players to record more than 40 sacks and more than 35 takeaways, along with Pro Football Hall of Famers Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher.

Since tackles became an officially tracked metric in 1994, David is one of just seven players to reach 1,700 career tackles, along with Derrick Brooks, Lewis, Jr. Seau, Zach Thomas, London Fletcher, and Steve Smith. bobby wagner.

David has 41.5 sacks, 32 forced fumbles and 14 interceptions in his career. He is one of just four players in league history to record 40 career sacks, 30 forced fumbles and 10 interceptions, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers Julius Peppers, Mo Lewis and Greg Lloyd.

In David’s final regular season game with the Bucs, he tied Pro Football Hall of Famer and Buccaneer Ring of Honor member Derrick Brooks’ franchise tackle record of 1,714, which is also sixth since StatsPass began recording tackles as a metric in 1994. His 215 games played are the third-most in team history behind Brooks (224) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Rondae Barber (241).

David pays tribute to Barber in Bucs’ 38-35 win over eventual Super Bowl championsSeattle Seahawks Last year, when he had an interception late in the game and pointed to the name on the back of his jersey, that was Barber’s signature celebration.

Another key moment for David in 2025 that exemplified not only his impact, but his leadership, came in Week 7 detroit lionsWhen? mike evansThe franchise’s all-time leading scorer, suffered a concussion and a broken collarbone. David took the field with head coach Todd Bowles to stay with Evans while his clearly shaken offensive teammates could go back onto the field and attempt to restart the game. David said of that moment, that he was just trying to be there for his “brother.”

Bowles praised David for “always performing well” not only as the defense’s quarterback, but as a person.

A second-round draft pick out of Nebraska in 2012 (David also attended Fort Scott Community College from 2008–09), David became the opening day starter. But it took nine seasons for them to taste the postseason, culminating in the team’s 2020 Super Bowl LV victory, the first time a team had won the Lombardi Trophy on its home field. From there, David helped lead the Bucs to four consecutive NFC South titles from 2021–24.

David was reluctant to return this offseason and Bucs general manager Jason Licht said the team was giving him all possible time to make a decision. The team only had three inside linebackers under contract in 2026, so they signed the veteran inside linebacker Alex Anzalone As a free agent two weeks earlier, but his role had not yet been defined. Then on Monday the team signed Christian RoseboomWho started 15 games for the Panthers last season.

With David’s retirement and Evans’ departure san francisco 49ers In free agency after 12 seasons, detailed chris godwin jr., who will enter his 10th season this fall, will become the longest-tenured Buccaneer in the locker room.

In addition to the tackle record, David retired as the franchise record holder in forced fumbles (33, Brooks was second with 25), fumble recoveries (20, Barber was second with 11) and tackles for loss.