Is Lavonte David’s Career Coming to an End?

TAMPA — The uniform, in an apropos touch, did not come off easily.

While his teammates moved around the dressing room in quiet conversation following Tampa Bay’s 23-20 last-second loss to Washington in the NFC wild-card round Sunday night, Lavonte David sat fully dressed and stared into his mostly-bare locker at Raymond James Stadium.

Finally, nearly a half-hour after the game, he began tugging the familiar No. 54 upward. After David struggled for a few seconds to get the material over his shoulder pads and head, tight end Cade Otton walked over and gently assisted the Bucs defensive captain.

Uncertain Future

Surely anyone sneaking a peek had to be wondering the same thing:

Was that the last time David will ever wear an NFL uniform on game day?

If he knows — and he probably doesn’t — David is not saying. His plan, he explained afterward, is to take a little time to relax and unwind. He has no timetable, he insisted, on making a decision about a potential 14th season in Tampa Bay.

Decision Time

A day later at the team facility, he was filling a bag with clothes, cleats and other items when he was asked if he had considered whether this was his farewell to the locker room.

“I haven’t thought about that,” David said. “I’ve got a lot of memories in this locker room that I’ll never forget, but as far as (this) being my exact last time in it, I haven’t really given it any thought.”

The decision, of course, is a two-party equation. David must decide if he wants his playing career to continue, and the Bucs must decide whether a soon-to-be 35-year-old linebacker is in the team’s best plans.

On the Field Performance

If you go strictly by the numbers, there is no reason the Bucs would not want him back. David led the team in tackles, his 5.5 sacks were his most since 2013, and he forced three more fumbles to increase his franchise record to 31.

Yet there were signs that age was having an effect. Among linebackers with at least 500 snaps, Pro Football Focus ranked David No. 23 out of 55. Not bad, but not up to David’s past standards. The numbers were slightly worse when it came to pass coverage where David was ranked No. 30. It was the second consecutive year that his grades declined, according to Pro Football Focus.

Legacy and Leadership

But numbers only tell part of the story. While tackles and sacks can be measured on a stat sheet, accountability and leadership cannot. And there hasn’t been another player on Tampa Bay’s defense in the past decade who has carried a heavier responsibility than David.

“We’ve gotten very close over the years I’ve been here,” head coach Todd Bowles said. “He’s a coach on the field, he’s a captain, he’s a leader, he’s a heck of a person off the field. He’s our bell cow. When things go wrong, he’ll fix it from a mental standpoint in the locker room. He gets everybody lined up in the right plays, he understands the game, as well as making a ton of plays himself.

“He’s meant everything to me, as well as our coaching staff and the players in this building.”

End of an Era?

Knowing when, or if, to walk away can be an inscrutable choice. Stay too long, and you risk injury and embarrassment. Leave too soon and you may forever regret leaving precious moments on the field.

Hall of Fame linebackers such as Dick Butkus, Brian Urlacher, Jack Lambert, Lawrence Taylor and Mike Singletary were already retired by this time. Others, such as Ray Lewis, Junior Seau, Sam Mills and Kevin Greene played into their late 30s.

If he’s concerned about how the final chapter plays out, David might consider the case of Derrick Brooks. Perhaps the greatest of all Bucs, Brooks returned for his age-35 season in 2008 and earned the last of his 11 Pro Bowl invitations.

But his impact and excellence had clearly waned and the team was put in the awkward position of having to ask for his playbook a few months after the season ended. It is a fate David clearly wants to avoid.

“When I started playing this game at this level, I always said I wanted to go out on my own terms,” David said Monday. “I don’t want nobody to force me out. I want to put my best foot forward every time and make sure that when I do leave the game it is with the stamp that I was an incredible player.”

Conclusion

One way or another, that will be the case.

David’s career has been long and exemplary. You might want to see one more season or you might want him to step away with the crowd still calling for more. Either way, Lavonte David was one of the most incredible Bucs any of us have ever seen.

John Romano can be reached atjromano@tampabay.com. Follow @romano_tbtimes.

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