The Buccaneers’ Secret Weapon: Todd Bowles’ Convincing Lavonte David to Stay

Lavonte David isn’t just a legendary player in Tampa Bay Buccaneers history – he’s also one of the most cherished and revered figures to ever wear the team’s iconic pewter and red.

David’s 14-year tenure with the Bucs has been marked by both soaring highs and crushing lows, but it wasn’t until recently that the highs began to outweigh the lows. The struggles reached a boiling point after a brutal 2018 season, where the team’s 5-11 record had David contemplating his future with the team.

At that point, the Buccaneers had logged just one winning season – a 9-7 finish in 2016 – in David’s first seven NFL seasons with the team. With no playoff appearances to his name, David’s frustration had reached a breaking point.

“My first eight years here weren’t going so well. There wasn’t a lot of winning going on and that was a point where I did want to leave because we were making a coaching change.” David shared his thoughts with former Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden on Gruden’s latest episode of Gruden Goes Long.

“But guys called me, [general manager] Jason Licht called me and BA called me and they were like, ‘Man, we want you to be a part, a foundational piece of this turnaround.’ And ever since then, it did exactly that. So, [it’s a] testament to those guys, you know, really putting their front foot forward.”

Following a 5-11 season and the departure of Dirk Koetter, the Buccaneers brought in Bruce Arians to revitalize the team’s culture and revive the winning formula that worked in the late 90s and early 2000s. While Arians and Licht played a role in convincing David to stay, defensive coordinator Todd Bowles also had a hand in his decision, which Bowles discussed with reporters on Tuesday.

“I remember us having a conversation because he hadn’t played in a 3-4 [defense] before, so he was very skeptical of playing the ‘MO’ linebacker position,” stated Bowles. “I told him it was pretty much just like the 4-3 [defense], it was just a difference of [scheme]. And with Bruce talking to him, then he having to sit down with me as well, and we talked scheme-wise, he came in and bought in, and he kind of took off from there.”

“So, you know, it’s a credit to him, being able to play in various schemes, different types of schemes, and change his game. Whether he’s a dropper in the Cover 2 scheme, whether he’s a blitzer in our scheme, or whether he’s a cover guy, that’s a credit to him being a good football player.”

The Buccaneers’ 2020 Super Bowl win wouldn’t have been possible without David’s contributions. Credit is due to those who helped keep him in Tampa, potentially allowing him to wrap up his career with the team and add another championship ring.