In the spring and summer of 2025, to celebrate the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ upcoming 50th season, the team enlisted the help of fans, members of the media and long-tenured staffers to produce a list of the Top 50 Buccaneers of all time. It was a pleasingly difficult undertaking, one that was treated with great respect and attention, and it only got harder as the top of the list neared.
The top 10 names on that list include five Hall of Famers and several more near-locks for enshrinement in the near future, including the NFL’s all-time G.O.A.T. It also included the unquestioned greatest offensive player in franchise history and perhaps the most beloved figure ever to put on a Buccaneers uniform.
And it included Lavonte David.
David announced his retirement on Tuesday, concluding a brilliant career that sees him walk away as one of the greatest and most respected players in 50 years of Tampa Bay football. There is no need to wait a certain number of years and review his accomplishments from a remove to determine his place in franchise history. David is one of the all-time greats, and fans, media, teammates and the franchise itself all agree.
David was one of only three active players on the Top 50 list when it was revealed, along with wide receiver Mike Evans (#4) and tackle Tristan Wirfs (#9). Five of the six players above him on the list are already in the Hall of Fame: Derrick Brooks (#1), Lee Roy Selmon (#2), Warren Sapp (#3), Ronde Barber (#5) and John Lynch (#6). The sixth is Evans.
After David landed in the seventh spot, the top 10 is rounded out by the aforementioned G.O.A.T., Tom Brady (#8), Wirfs (#9) and fan favorite Mike Alstott (#10).
Since 1976, more than 1,200 players have worn the Tampa Bay uniform during the regular season, each arriving in his own unique way and each leaving their mark on the club’s legacy. A select few of those hundreds of franchise contributors fashioned careers impressive enough to be named to the Top 10 Buccaneers of all time. David was absolutely one of them, and some time in the near future he (and Evans) may join the other Hall of Fame Buccaneers with a bronze bust in Canton.