Andrew Buller-Russ
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have slid under the radar nearly all offseason long. While they’ve been involved in recent storylines such as Baker Mayfield heading into a contract year, yet apparently not making progress toward an extension, the Buccaneers aren’t a team that’s been discussed often.
Yet, there have been some big changes this offseason. They lost a pair of franchise cornerstones when Mike Evans signed with the San Francisco 49ers in free agency. Then their All-Pro defensive leader Lavonte David retired. But it wasn’t all bad. The Bucs also lucked into selecting a potentially elite pass-rusher when Rueben Bain Jr. slipped to the 15th overall pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Still, there are mixed feelings about a roster that had to say goodbye to two fan favorites, and it sounds like one of them already regrets putting Tampa Bay in their rearview mirror.
Lavonte David Already Misses the Buccaneers
Landing Bain was a big win for the Buccaneers. He’s the type of special talent that attracts others to the Bucs, even though Bain has yet to play a snap.
Apparently, that includes the now-retired Lavonte David. The 36-year-old linebacker recently appeared on This Is Football with Kevin Clark, where David revealed that he actually connected with Bain shortly after the Bucs selected him. That’s when Bain essentially made his recruiting pitch to David, telling him he wished the linebacker hadn’t retired.
“They are going to be some animals,” David said. “I knew Bain already. 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. I definitely have high hopes for those guys.”
The Buccaneers responded to David’s departure by signing Alex Anzalone to a two-year, $17 million contract. They also injected some youth at the position by selecting Josiah Trotter in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft. When David decided to move on, so did the Bucs.
Thus, barring injury, it appears the Buccaneers aren’t itching to get David back, but that could always change throughout the course of a long football season that stretches from August, possibly into February.
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