How Mayfield Played Major Role In Bucs Star Re-Signing

Veteran Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David made the decision to come back for a 14th NFL season in 2025, and as it turns out, he had a little help.

Coming off one of the better seasons of his career, at the ripe old age of 34, David posted 5.5 sacks, the most since 2013, while also having nine tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, an interception, and 122 combined tackles for 17 regular-season games.

Despite David having another superb season, he was contemplating retirement...until quarterback Baker Mayfield stepped in.

"Baker reached out to me as well over the offseason," David said on the Rich Eisen Show. "He knew I was contemplating retirement or coming back, and he reached out and said he'd love to do it again with me one time. The way the season ended last year, we weren't happy about it. We felt like we could've gone further than we went. So you know, why not do it again?"

With the Buccaneers being one of the better teams in the NFC under Mayfield's watch, this offseason, the franchise has doubled down and is looking to run it back in 2025.

Chris Godwin and David were re-signed, but general manager Jason Licht also added some much-needed pass rush help with Haason Reddick's signing in free agency.

So David gets a little help there, and we get the sense that 2025 might be the farewell tour for the linebacker despite him still playing at a reasonably high level.

The ageless wonder appears to have fought off Father Time...for now.