Lavonte David is retired. He’s sure of that. But for a brief moment this spring, the longtime Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker wondered if he’d pulled the trigger a year too early.
David announced his retirement in March after 14 seasons, all of them in Tampa Bay. He walked away with 1,714 career tackles, a franchise record he shares with Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks, and a Super Bowl LV ring. Then, in April, the Buccaneers used the No. 15 overall pick on Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr., a player David had known for years.
That’s when the doubt crept in.
“I knew Bain already,” David said on Kevin Clark’s ESPN podcast. “I reached out to him after he got drafted, he told me, man, like, ‘Man, I wish you just waited one more year.’ And, I was like in my mind like, ‘Maybe I should have, but, you know, the deal is done already. I’m out, my guy.’ But, I told him I’m definitely going to be there to be supporting him and stuff like that.”
David and Bain’s Miami Roots Run Deep
The connection between the two goes back further than Bain’s rookie season. Both are Miami natives, and David has known Bain since he was a kid attending David’s youth football giveaways in the city, according to Yardbarker. David watched Bain grow into a dominant force at a rival Miami high school before he became the ACC Defensive Player of the Year at the University of Miami.
Bain wasn’t projected to fall to No. 15. Questions about his arm length and a 2024 car accident that resulted in the death of a passenger contributed to the slide, according to Fox News. But when the Buccaneers scooped him up, David texted general manager Jason Licht almost immediately, according to JoeBucsFan, calling it an “A-plus pick.”
The Buccaneers front office clearly saw the parallel, too. Their draft room reportedly features a silhouette of David under the phrase “I Am That Man” — a standard the organization hopes Bain can eventually meet, per Yardbarker.
Why the Buccaneers Think Bain Can Reinvigorate the Pass Rush
Tampa Bay’s pass rush has been searching for an identity since Shaquil Barrett’s 10-sack 2021 season, the last time a Buccaneer hit double digits. Bain is being counted on to change that. Outside linebackers coach Larry Foote didn’t hold back when assessing the rookie’s early impact.
“Off the film, if you had to bet, he’s going to be a star,” Foote said, per NFL.com. Foote compared Bain’s explosiveness and leverage to former Steelers pass rusher James Harrison, a teammate of his in Pittsburgh.
David is bullish on the whole roster heading into 2026, not just Bain. He also praised head coach Todd Bowles’ defense and the direction of the team following an offseason that saw longtime wide receiver Mike Evans depart for the San Francisco 49ers in free agency.
“I definitely, definitely have high hopes for those guys, man,” David said. “The roster, I can speak on the roster. The roster is amazing.”
| Category | Lavonte David (14 seasons) |
|---|---|
| Tackles | 1,714 (franchise record) |
| Sacks | 42.5 |
| Forced Fumbles | 33 (franchise record) |
| Interceptions | 14 |
| Pro Bowls / All-Pro | 1 Pro Bowl, 3-time All-Pro |
Would David Consider Coaching?
David’s NFL résumé reads like a future coach’s. He’s spent 14 years inside one defensive scheme under five head coaches, developing a reputation as a cerebral, high-IQ player. So it’s a fair question: does he see himself pacing a sideline someday?
“I’d consider it,” David said.
That’s as far as it goes for now. David has made clear in multiple interviews since retiring that he’s not in a rush to jump into any structured role, football or otherwise. He’s currently enjoying, in his own words, the early stages of retirement.
“If I get into it, I know I’m going be locked in,” he said. “So, I may. It’s something that I may do down the line, but right now I’m going to enjoy this retirement that I have.”
It tracks with what David told The Pat McAfee Show earlier this year, when he was asked the same question and gave a similarly noncommittal answer, saying he wanted time to “enjoy the fruits of my labor” after three decades of football dating back to age six, according to Yahoo Sports.
What’s Next for Bain and the Bucs
Bain reported to rookie minicamp in May and has drawn praise from multiple members of the Bucs’ defensive staff, not just Foote. The Buccaneers open training camp July 28. Whether Bain lives up to the star billing David and his coaches are already attaching to him will start to take shape there, with real answers likely not coming until the pads come on in the regular season.
David, for his part, plans to watch from a distance — for now, at least, still just a fan of the game he spent half his life playing.
