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Tampa Bay Buccaneers legend Lavonte David announced his retirement Tuesday at a press conference.
David, 36, spent 14 seasons with the Buccaneers and was the team’s longest-tenured player, including a key member of the Super Bowl-winning team. He spent 12 seasons as captain.
“I just want to start by saying, ‘God is amazing.’ 14 years of football, to this moment, I never thought I’d be in this situation. I never thought I’d be here,” David said.
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David (54) leaves the field after an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins in Miami Gardens, Florida, on December 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough, File)
Since David entered the NFL in 2012, he leads the league in solo tackles (1,171) and has the second-most tackles for loss (177) in that span. He is one of three players to record 40+ sacks and 35+ steals in his career. Pro Football Hall of Famers Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher are the other two.
David said he played football for “fun, for the love of it.” He called his career a journey.
“Every time I walked on the field I wanted to prove that I was right and all my doubters were wrong.”
David became emotional as he talked about his late parents and the sacrifices they made for him.
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FILE – Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David (54) with his family before an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, Oct. 26, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Ella Hall, File)
“Growing up where I grew up is not easy. It’s not easy, but they found a way for me and you don’t understand it until you get older and until you have your own children, the sacrifices they made for you. The things they did for you,” David said, through tears.
“It’s just thinking about my dad, the sacrifices he made. He was never the breadwinner for our family, but for some reason he and my mom made everything work and their relationship lasted a long time. And when you saw how compatible they were with each other and how they made our lives easier. We had a car, my mom took it to work and my dad used to take me to practice on the handlebars of a bicycle. We used to walk sometimes, and when you were a kid you’d say, ‘Dang Man, that walk was a very long walk.’ long. You realize that it is a sacrifice that you must make to help your children, to make your children’s dreams come true.
When David’s mother passed away in 2016, he said he no longer cared about football because he wanted to help her make her dreams come true after she made his own.
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David (54) holds the Vince Lombardi Trophy during the celebration of the team’s victory in Super Bowl LV over the Kansas City Chiefs in Tampa, Florida, on February 10, 2021. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)
David’s father passed away shortly after the Buccaneers won the Super Bowl in 2021.
David tied Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks’ franchise tackles record of 1,714 in his final regular-season game. He has played the third-most games in Buccaneers history behind Brooks (224) and American Football Hall of Famer Rondé Barber (241).
The Buccaneers selected David with their second-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft out of Nebraska. He made the Pro Bowl once in his career, was named first-team All-Pro once and second-team All-Pro twice.
