Lavonte David is returning to Tampa Bay for his 13th season. On Friday afternoon, David officially signed a one-year deal that will keep him with the Buccaneers for the 2024 season. The legendary player will once again don red and pewter on the gridiron.
David, a 2012 second-round pick, played a vital role in the Buccaneers securing their third straight NFC South crown in 2023. He led the team with 134 tackles and notched 4.5 sacks, his most in a season since 2016. David was the lone player in the NFL in 2023 with 100-plus tackles, 15-plus tackles for loss and 3.0-plus sacks. His 17 tackles for loss last season are the second-most in a single-season by a player age 33 or older since data became available in 2008. David continued his stellar play in the postseason, spearheading the unit with 18 tackles, a sack, a quarterback hit and a forced fumble.
David started all 15 games in which he played in 2023, missing two games due to a groin injury. He rallied a defense that tied for sixth in the league in points allowed (19.1 per game) and allowed the fifth fewest rushing yards (95.3 per game). Overall, David has played in 181 regular season games, starting all of them, and has amassed 1,477 tackles, 33.5 sacks, 160 tackles for loss, 28 forced fumbles, 18 fumble recoveries, 12 interceptions and 64 passes defensed during his tenure.
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He is the franchise’s all-time leader in fumble recoveries and ranks second in tackles, fifth in games played, fourth in games started and eighth in sacks. Since 2000, David’s 10 seasons with 100-plus tackles are the third-most in the NFL, trailing only London Fletcher (14) and Bobby Wagner (11). Through his first 11 seasons, David joined London Fletcher, Ray Lewis, Bobby Wagner and Junior Seau as the only players in league annals to record 1,300-plus tackles, 25-plus sacks and 10-plus interceptions through their first 11 seasons.
With instinctual play, David fortifies the Bucs’ defense. Whether rushing the passer, covering tight ends or leveraging himself when taking on blocks, David is elite. Consistency is the name of David’s game and he sets the standard of excellence in Tampa Bay. He is a tackling machine with a stout wrap-up technique and pursuit skills. David has the hip fluidity to cover tight ends/running backs with ease and he has mastered the art of punching the ball out. He is a screen-sniffer and zone-buster, routinely putting himself in position to make plays on the ball. The future Hall of Fame player epitomizes football in its truest form.
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