Tampa Buccaneers Resign LB Lavonte David With $20 Million Guaranteed
The Tampa Buccaneers are hoping to bring the band back together next season for another Super Bowl run. After placing a franchise tag on wide receiver Chris Goodwin, they’ve locked up linebacker Lavonte David to a five-year deal worth $25 million with $20 million guaranteed.
According to the NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, The final three years on the contract are voidable, which gives Tampa Bay more flexibility to spread out his cap hit towards the backend. David’s cap number will be just $3.5 million for the upcoming season. That’s pretty good value considering Pro Football Focus gave David a 78.8 rating which was the fourth-highest among linebackers.
The former Nebraska product has spent his entire career with the Buccaneers after being drafted in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft with the 58th overall pick. His contract is team-friendly, and it should allow the Buccaneers enough room to bring back fellow linebacker Shaq Barrett.
FanDuel Sportsbook lists Tampa Bay at +950 repeat as defending champions.