The result that most people have probably expected but has been made official. Buccaneers’ linebacker Lavonte David has finally called it after a career. Retirement rumors have been swirling around Lavonte for a while now as he is entering his late 30s and has been taking one year deals with the team. Most don’t expect a LB to keep continuing after hitting such an age. But Lavonte is of course not like most LBs.
Even though I did complain about him last season, he was ultimately the best LB the Bucs had last year. Which you could say about every year pretty much since he joined the team. Even still, at age 36, it was very clear Lavonte still had all the instincts to be a very good player. And even despite him not doing as well as he did in his younger days, he made plenty of impact plays. It also seems very fitting that the last game he played, he managed to tie Derrick Brooks in tackles.
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By the time that I fully list all that he has accomplished in his career, I will have a document that is longer than the Constitution.
But there are definitely some key stats that bear mentioning. I already said he is tied for team leader all time in total tackles with the big man DB himself. He is also tied for 4th most in NFL history in tackles for loss at 177. It should be mentioned if you were today years old when you first learnt about football that his primary job was not to get in the backfield and make those kinds of tackles.
The next closest LB is Brian Urlacher at 138. And speaking of Urlacher, Lavonte also joins him and Ray Lewis as the only players with 35 takeaways and 40 sacks since 1982. Again, having 40 sacks as an LB over a career is insane, even one as long as his.
This is not like Mike Evans where there could be some debate over whether he is or isn’t a first-ballot HOFer. He is. Looking at everything he has accomplished and how long he has played, there should be no question from the committee about that. He is one of the best of his generation, next to Bobby Wagner and Luke Kuechly. Yet despite how well he has played, it feels like most don’t know it because people don’t care about the Bucs. Well, in five years, he should have a special appointment with a tailor to get his gold jacket fitted.
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