One day in the not-so-distant future, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will enshrine linebacker Lavonte David into the team’s Hall of Fame. A 2012 second-round draft pick, David is entering his 13th NFL season next fall, all with the Bucs. David has been around for much of the NFL’s most recent rules changes and structural modifications, including an added 17th regular season game, defensive restrictions against offensive players, and the league’s newest kickoff adaptation. However, David wishes he would be long gone when commissioner Roger Goodell and company add an 18th regular season game.
In an interview with NFL insider Ari Meirov, David shared that he opposes the NFL adding another regular season game. David was well into his NFL career when the league bumped the regular season from 16 to 17 games in 2021.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers LB Lavonte David: Against 18-Game Regular Season
If you asked Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David about the NFL bumping up the regular season from 17 to 18 games, he would likely say it is a mistake. In an interview with Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team, David shared his concern for player safety with an added regular season game.
#Bucs LB Lavonte David does not want to see the NFL go to 18 games. pic.twitter.com/IBrvs4HVtH
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) August 2, 2024
“I hope it doesn’t happen. You know the season is already long as it already is. The 16-game season was long as it is. The 17-games, you know, made it even longer. Even though it is one more game, it feels like five more.”
In 2021, the NFL added a 17th regular season game, marking the end of the 16-game regular season schedule that held firm since 1978. The league has dabbled with adding an 18th game in recent years, with its probability rising in each subsequent offseason. However, David worries about player health with the addition of an 18th game.
“It is a physical football game. People go out and play their hardest. Coaches got to find ways to take care of players throughout the season. Guys got to find ways to take care of themselves throughout the season. It’s just a lot of added stress to the body. Me personally, I hope it doesn’t happen. Maybe I’m not in the league when it happens, hopefully.”
David: Hall of Fame Caliber Career
Despite playing the linebacker position in the high-flying NFL, Lavonte David has put together an incredible 12-year professional career with 14 games played every season except twice. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected David out of Nebraska with the 58th overall pick of the 2012 NFL Draft. The six-foot-one, 233-pound second-level defender became an immediate impact player, tallying 139 tackles, 20 TFLs, two sacks, and an interception in his first season, finishing fifth in AP Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.
David’s second season in the NFL was arguably his best, collecting a career-high 21 TFLs, five interceptions, and seven sacks while adding 145 tackles. He earned first-team All-Pro honors for his efforts. From 2014 to 2019, David started all but five games for the Bucs, accumulating a ridiculous 505 tackles, 13.5 sacks, and five interceptions during that stretch. A second-team All-Pro in 2020, David helped lead Tampa Bay to their first Super Bowl victory in nearly two decades, posting 26 tackles in four games.
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