Lavonte David considering retirement over free agency deal 

If the Bucs hadn’t made the playoffs in his ninth season, Lavonte David admits he might have retired from the NFL.

At the very least, find a new football team.

“Maybe,” he stated on Wednesday. “To be honest with you, I’d have moved on. But I’m glad I made that decision.

“Just being here, with all of the quality that we had, especially all of the guys who came in, some Hall of Fame and All-Pro players, I knew that a title would come soon, but I didn’t know what was wrong, what was going on, and so on.

“Obviously, that did cross my mind and just hearing from other guys how it was being in postseason play and being able to be a competitive football team, that also crossed my mind.”

In March, David, 34, agreed to a one-year, $8.5 million contract extension with the Bucs following a successful season. He led the team with 134 tackles, 17 for a loss, and 4.5 sacks. The Bucs have been to the playoffs four years in a row.

“At the end of the day, I was doing everything right for this organization to continue to want me here to be around when things started changing, so I’m blessed to be a part of it,” said David.

David received few reps during Wednesday’s required minicamp, but he made a diving breakup of a pass to receiver Chris Godwin.

David stated that after the 2023 season, he needed to take a break from the game to allow his body to heal before deciding whether to continue his career or retire.

He stated that in the end, it was an easy decision.

“Honestly, that didn’t take long,” David said. “I definitely still love the game of football. I still want to play and I still feel like I’m playing at a high level. I still feel like I can compete with the best and obviously the organization felt the same way. It was a no-brainer for me to come back. Us being competitive also played a main part in it. I’m definitely looking forward to another great season.”

Gregory absent again

Randy Gregory, the Bucs’ free-agent edge rusher, missed the team’s obligatory minicamp for the second day in a row without explanation. If he does not participate in the final day on Thursday, he might face fines totaling more than $100,000.

Gregory, who has previously been suspended by the NFL for several drug violations, signed a one-year contract in April.The plaintiff is suing the NFL and the Broncos under the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act, although his absence is irrelevant.

“I’m just going to coach the guys that are here,” Coach Todd Bowles said. “We’ll deal with it, like I said, as it goes on. But we’re fine with the guys we have here.”

David said he has not had any contact with Gregory, who also is a Nebraska alum.

“It did surprise me, but I haven’t had a chance to talk to him,” David said. “A lot of people got some personal stuff going on so I don’t try to dip into people’s business. All I can do is pray for him and hope the best for him and I’m sure he’ll be here for training camp ready to go.”