Knee surgery follows a challenging season for Lavonte David. Now, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers star faces a pivotal decision: return or retire?
Tampa Bay Buccaneers' linebacker and franchise cornerstone Lavonte David had knee surgery after the season, per a report by JoeBucsFan.
It was previously known that David's knee was giving him trouble throughout 2025, and he told the "Bussin with the Boys" podcast in January that his knee required weekly draining during the season.
Now, we know that this did indeed require surgery, and that's just one more factor for David to consider when weighing whether he wants to return to the Bucs or retire, and to be clear, these are the only two realistic options, per David himself.
In another January interview, this one with the "Up and Adams," show hosted by Kay Adams, David said if he wanted to come back, the Bucs would have him, and that if he wanted to play, he wouldn't explore any other team.
Tampa is the only franchise David has known throughout his 14-year NFL career, and he's become one of the best players in team history. He's made three All-Pro teams, including a first-team honor in 2013, just his second year in the league. Two seasons later, David made it to the Pro Bowl, and the next season, he was named second-team All-Pro.
He was second-team All-Pro again in 2020, a season that ended with Tampa Bay winning the Super Bowl.
Had Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks not played for the Bucs, David would be right in the mix for best linebacker to ever play for the team. He's second in franchise history with 1,172 solo tackles, and is Tampa's all-time leader in tackles for loss with 177. (The next closest, Ronde Barber, has just 88.)
David's production dropped off last season.
He played in all 17 games, but ended the year with a career-low 61 tackles and just eight tackles for loss, also having 3.5 sacks, which was down two from the previous season.
Pro Football Focus wasn't kind to David, either. His overall grade of 52.6 ranked 66 out of 88 linebackers,
Despite his struggles and knee problems, David played more snaps than anybody on the Bucs defense (1,023) aside from Pro Bowl safety Antoine Winfield Jr., who beat him by 15.
It is not yet known whether or when David will be able to resume football activities.
Given that Tampa is known for prioritizing retaining its franchise players (Chris Godwin being the most recent example), and that the organization has apparently already told David it would take him back, it's highly unlikely that this would deter the Bucs from re-signing David.
But what it might impact is Tampa's willingness to pay him coming off a surgically repaired knee.
Right now, Spotrac has David's market value at one year for an estimated $7.43 million.
ㅤ
Join our ROUNDTABLE community! It's completely free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.
Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!