Lavonte David is back for his 13th year with the Bucs. He, more than anyone on the roster, has experienced both the highs and lows that Tampa Bay has been through.

First, it was the lows. From 2012-2019, David was one of the best players on a bad team. The Bucs had zero playoff appearances, one winning record and six last-place finishes in those eight seasons.

Since then, the last four seasons have been something of a golden era for Tampa Bay. David and some of his longer-tenured teammates have seen (and helped carry) the team as it reached new heights. From winning a Super Bowl in 2020 to winning three consecutive NFC South titles in the last three years since, the lowest of the lows feels like a long time ago.

Throughout all of that and to this day, the type of player, caliber of leader and quality of person that Lavonte David is has made him a fan favorite in Tampa Bay — and a favorite of the front office. He is the prime example of the type of player the Bucs are looking to find more of, as rare as they may be.

That’s not hyperbole, either. Bucs general manager Jason Licht said as much on Friday, pointing to visual evidence of the idea that Lavonte David is the picture of what they want a Buc to be.

“He is the poster child — literally — for us. We have a picture, a silhouette of a Buc player in our draft room” Licht said. “It says ‘I am that man’ and this is the person that we want in a player, the traits that — some of them — we just said. It doesn’t show his face, but it is Lavonte. He’s the one that we look for every year. He’s the standard.”

Licht arrived in Tampa in 2014, two years after Lavonte David was drafted. He said Friday, with a smile, that his fellow Nebraska Cornhusker would’ve been the top player on his draft board had he been with the Bucs in 2012. But while he may not have drafted David, but he’s seen his greatness for a long time. And that’s why he continues to prioritize the legendary Buc when it comes time for him to hit free agency.

From Year 1 in 2012 to what will now be Year 13 in 2024, David has ascended to the ranks of the very best players in Bucs history. He’s continuing to take things one year at a time, as evidenced by the fact that he signed a one-year contract for the second straight offseason.

It’s a safe bet that if he continues to play deeper into his 30s, David will keep signing those one-year deals. That’s the path that Pro Football Hall of Famer and fellow Bucs legend Ronde Barber took at the end of his career.

And when you think about it, it’s fitting that David’s rookie year overlapped with Barber’s final season in 2012. Because that year, in a way, signaled the passing of the torch from “the prototype” to “the poster child.”

THE STANDARD. pic.twitter.com/ON7oYdsLtm

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) March 22, 2024

Lavonte David Is A Lock For The Bucs’ Ring Of Honor
Lavonte David has been a future Bucs Ring of Honor member for years now, and his case gets solidified more and more with each passing year. It’s not as if it needs any more solidifying, though, as he’s gotten to the point where the organization should be prepared to announce his induction on the same day he retires.

David has cemented his status as a Buccaneer legend, and even if he hasn’t gotten the league-wide recognition he deserves and continues to be a Pro Bowl snub on a yearly basis, his fans in Tampa Bay know the type of player he is. And they’ve never had any problem going to bat for him.

As for David himself, he has long maintained that he doesn’t pay too much attention to the individual honors and the lack of recognition he’s gotten nationally. He knows that he’s respected by other players in the league, and he’s confident in the tape he’s put together for 12 years and counting.

As for the prospect of one day being in the Bucs Ring of Honor, though, David said Friday that it hasn’t been until now that he’s begun to think about it. And after seeing some of the greats that came before him have their induction days, he knows it would be a special feeling for him and his family.

“It’d be great. I think that’s something everybody would wanna see. I think it’d be great,” David said. “I don’t really think about it until now, especially with the fact that my career is winding down. You kind of think about stuff like that.

“You just think about seeing guys, when I’m playing, like I’ve seen Ronde get put up, I’ve seen John Lynch get put up, I’ve seen Warren Sapp. Seeing all their family and friends and just seeing the crowd still cheering those guys, I’m sure that was a great feeling for them. So, why wouldn’t I want to be a part of that?”

Yes, one day, Lavonte David will be a part of that. It’ll be a fitting tribute to the career he’s put together in red, white and pewter. But for now, it’s safe to assume that as long as Jason Licht is the man in charge in Tampa, David will remain “the poster child” in the team’s draft room.