TAMPA — Had the Bucs not finally reached the playoffs in his ninth season, Lavonte David says he may have retired from the NFL.
Or at the very least, found a new football team.
“Maybe,” he said Wednesday. “Or I would’ve moved on, just to be honest with you. But I’m happy I made the decision I made.
“Just being here, all the talent that we had, especially all the guys that came in, some Hall of Fame and All-Pro Players that we had, I definitely thought that a title was going to come real soon but I just didn’t know what was the issue, what was going on and things like that.
“Obviously, that did cross my mind and just hearing from other guys how it was being in postseason play and being able to be a competitive football team, that also crossed my mind.”
David, 34, signed a one-year, $8.5 million contract to remain with the Bucs in March after putting together one of his best seasons. He led the team with 134 tackles, including 17 for a loss, and had 4.5 sacks. The Bucs have reached the playoffs four years in a row.
“At the end of the day, I was doing everything right for this organization to continue to want me here to be around when things started changing, so I’m blessed to be a part of it,” David said.
On Wednesday, David had limited reps during the mandatory minicamp, but made a diving breakup of a pass to receiver Chris Godwin.
David said he needed to get away from the game after the 2023 season, let his body heal and evaluate whether he wanted to continue his career or retire.
He said in the end, it was an easy decision.
“Honestly, that didn’t take long,” David said. “I definitely still love the game of football. I still want to play and I still feel like I’m playing at a high level. I still feel like I can compete with the best and obviously the organization felt the same way. It was a no-brainer for me to come back. Us being competitive also played a main part in it. I’m definitely looking forward to another great season.”
Gregory absent again
Bucs free-agent edge rusher Randy Gregory missed a second straight day of the team’s mandatory minicamp and was unexcused. He could be subject to more than $100,000 in fines should he fail to participate in the final day Thursday.
Gregory, who has been suspended before by the NFL for repeated drug use, signed a one-year contract in April. He is suing the NFL and the Broncos under the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act, but his absence is believed to be unrelated.
“I’m just going to coach the guys that are here,” coach Todd Bowles said. “We’ll deal with it, like I said, as it goes on. But we’re fine with the guys we have here.”
David said he has not had any contact with Gregory, who also is a Nebraska alum.
“It did surprise me, but I haven’t had a chance to talk to him,” David said. “A lot of people got some personal stuff going on so I don’t try to dip into people’s business. All I can do is pray for him and hope the best for him and I’m sure he’ll be here for training camp ready to go.”
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Explore all your optionsBucs sign second-rounder Chris Braswell
And then there was one.
The Bucs signed Alabama rookie edge rusher Chris Braswell to a four-year contract Wednesday.
The second-round pick is the sixth member of the Bucs 2024 draft class to agree to terms. That leaves only Duke center Graham Barton, the Bucs’ first-round pick, who remains unsigned from the team’s 2024 class.
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