The Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ loss to the Washington Commanders in the 2025 NFL playoffs ended the Bucs’ hopes of reaching the Super Bowl. From now on, Baker Mayfield‘s team is already looking ahead to what’s next, and there is one player, a former champion alongside Tom Brady, who has yet to confirm his return for next season.
That late field goal could have marked one of the final moments of Lavonte David’s career with the Bucs. The veteran played on a one-year contract, his 13th season in the NFL, and has yet to confirm whether he will return to play under Todd Bowles in the upcoming season.
“No, not really,” David said, via Pewter Report. “Right now I’m just going to take this on, go home. Regroup a little bit, see where my head is at then and go from there. . . . No exact timeline. All I’m going to do is go home and get my mind off of football. And if I come back, I’ll have a decision by then.”
During his final season with the Buccaneers, David had 122 tackles, 5.5 sacks, an interception, three forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery while starting every game.
Lavonte David #54 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers celebrates a defensive stop against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first quarter in the NFC Wild Card Playoffs at Raymond James Stadium on January 15, 2024 in Tampa, Florida.
David knows what it’s like to win a championship with the Bucs
Coming from the University of Nebraska, Lavonte David was selected by the Buccaneers in the second round with the 58th pick of the 2012 NFL Draft. The experienced linebacker gradually became one of the defensive cornerstones of the franchise.
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The pinnacle of his career came in February 2021, when he became a Super Bowl LV champion, alongside the successful Tom Brady. The game was notably played at Raymond James Stadium, where the Bucs triumphed over the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes, winning 31-9.
Additionally, he was named a Pro Bowler in 2015 and a First-team All-Pro in 2013. Without a doubt, the linebacker’s career in Tampa Bay was highly successful.
Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs makes a catch against Lavonte David #54 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first quarter in Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium on February 07, 2021 in Tampa, Florida.
Mayfield’s reflection after the elimination
The Buccaneers’ dream of reaching the Super Bowl was undoubtedly very strong. However, in a close game, they were eliminated at home by the Washington Commanders.
After the game, Baker Mayfield spoke with the press and expressed his frustration at not being able to achieve the primary goal of advancing to the next round. “Right now it absolutely sucks, so it’s disappointing overall because I believe in this team. I believe we have the talent and the coaching staff and everybody around us to be able to go far.”
“But looking back, you know, try to take a step back, big picture is this group fought,” Mayfield also added. “A lot of people stepped up throughout the year; a ton of guys that stepped up into huge roles. There is a lot to be proud of. In this moment that’s hard to see, but there’s a lot of young guys that are going to be on this roster next year that had to step up and did in a big way. That should build confidence for those guys knowing that who they are as players and as men in adversity situations, to be able to step up like they did. So that’s something to be proud of.”