Lavonte David Nearly Bolted Bucs
May 27th, 2025
Almost made major mistake.
Bucs icon Lavonte David decided to postpone retirement at least for one more year and play in 2025.
So it was interesting to hear David discuss how that almost didn’t happen, just like David winning a Super Bowl with the Bucs almost didn’t happen, either.
The year was 2019. The Bucs had just finished yet another losing season, David’s seventh since he was drafted in the second round in 2012. But for a 9-7 record in 2016, missing out on the playoffs by a tiebreaker, David knew nothing but losing in the NFL and in Tampa.
He was done with it. David was fully fed up with the losing ways. He planned to say “adios” to the Bucs and find a franchise that had both a history of winning and a desire to win.
Then came Bucco Bruce Arians. In a sitdown David had with Chucky for a Barstool Sports video, David explained to Chucky, the first Bucs head coach to lead the team to a Super Bowl, how he nearly made a move where he wouldn’t have won a Super Bowl here and would never be thought of as a franchise legend.
David credited Arians for coaxing him into setting aside his personal frustration.
“My first eight years, wasn’t going so well,” David said. “Not a lot of winning going on. That was the point that I did want to leave. [The Bucs] were making another coaching change.
“But, Jason Licht called me. B.A. [Bruce Arians] called me. They said, ‘We want you to be a foundation piece of this turnaround.’ Ever since then, they did exactly that.”
And that was win. The Bucs have been in the playoffs five straight seasons, beginning with a march to a Super Bowl victory in 2020.
David added he has “much respect” for Licht, Arians and Todd Bowles for being men of their word and building and maintaining a winning franchise.
Joe found this all interesting because just this week, Bucs passing game coordinator Kefense Hynson mentioned how he noticed people who come to the Bucs want to stay with the Bucs.
Not that long ago, the opposite was true. The Bucs sure have come a long way these past five years.
May 27th, 2025 at 7:11 am
Joe … ‘David added he has “much respect” for Licht, Arians and Todd Bowles for being men of their word and building and maintaining a winning franchise.’
interesting that Lavonte credited Jason Licht, Bruce Arians AND Todd Bowles for ‘building & maintaining a wining franchise’. Intrigues me that some fans appear to be a lot less appreciative.
May 27th, 2025 at 7:15 am
Credit goes to Licht, Arians, and Bowles. Anyone who disagrees is either hating or not aware.
May 27th, 2025 at 7:20 am
Would’ve sucked if he left for one of the teams in the division.
May 27th, 2025 at 7:31 am
He said he wanted to win so that would have excluded the NFC South.
May 27th, 2025 at 7:43 am
We are an under cover destination franchise!
Deion Sanders called it out to his son. Good GM, good culture, good coach!
Thank you to the Glazers, Licht, Arians, & “The GOAT”!
May 27th, 2025 at 8:06 am
“that would have excluded the NFC South.”
And yet the Bucs won a SB despite LOSING that Division.
Just for the record PFF has that Division forecast as the 6th best out of the 8 this year.
Talk about wearing out a tired meme!!!
May 27th, 2025 at 8:57 am
This is just more rewriting of history to let jason off the hook for 2014-2019.
There has been a turnaround, but if things dont go sideways for Brady in NE, we dont get a superbowl and JL is a goner.
We were going nowhere under licht until brady and arians delivered on what was a decent team that were perenial losers.
Licht gets tons of credit for getting arians and brady in here, but like lavonte says, there wasnt a lot of winning going on….
May 27th, 2025 at 9:00 am
All good to hear! So glad we kept Lavonte! Says so much for the Glazers, Todd, and Jason too. Heck, the entire team! So lucky!
May 27th, 2025 at 9:09 am
Lot of respect for guys like David to stick around here. A lot of us “normal Joes” are not sticking around a bad situation year after year
I know if I was in a bad job situation where I felt we were going no where I’d bolt at the first chance
May 27th, 2025 at 10:06 am
In 2019 the Aints were still elite
May 27th, 2025 at 10:27 am
So if everyone wants to stay in Tampa why were the player survey results so bad? Would love it if the Joes could dig in on that and find out the scoop.
May 27th, 2025 at 10:30 am
Even with the SB win it may have hurt for LVD to spend time in his prime with the inept Bucs. Kuechly and Wagner benefited from playing on winning teams as main pieces of dominant Ds. With LVD once we started winning late into his career, it all became about Brady.
May 27th, 2025 at 10:33 am
Licht had to get through the “Lovie” years and prove himself to the Glazers and learn a bit, which he did, and who he is today is a culmination of those years. Let’s not forget what a shambles this franchise was until Licht started to really do things his way with Glazers approval, the man EARNED that.
Arians and Bowles took the same path with the same results. Without the people they had here in the first place Brady doesn’t look to come here. We had the plug and play for the best QB ever and in 1 year won it all.
Bowles took over a cap strapped team and with Licht the 2 of them have done the best with what they’ve had, which NO ONE saw coming. Give the respect and credit where and when it’s due. Looking forwasrd to a great season.
May 27th, 2025 at 10:37 am
“So if everyone wants to stay in Tampa why were the player survey results so bad?” – Rob S
Simple. They weren’t. You are misremembering.
The surveys were stellar outside of one topic: The condition of the locker rooms.
May 27th, 2025 at 10:52 am
@Bonzai- they were 27th overall in 2025… C- for family treatment and food, C for travel and D+ for ownership. Only area in top 10 was strength coaches. Even HC got a B+ which was 23rd/32.
https://nflpa.com/report-cards/2025/tampa-bay-buccaneers
May 27th, 2025 at 10:53 am
@Bonzai- they were 27th overall in 2025… C- for family treatment and food, C for travel and D+ for ownership. Only area in top 10 was strength coaches. Even HC got a B+ which was 23rd/32.
May 27th, 2025 at 10:53 am
source: nflpa.com/report-cards/2025/tampa-bay-buccaneers
May 27th, 2025 at 10:54 am
Having stability and success at Quarterback is driving near-100% of this turnaround. Winning culture, people wanting to stay, etc… the teams with the best QB’s are the teams with the success. Full stop.