Bucs’ Professionalism Helped Lavonte David Stay
March 24th, 2021
Front office respected.
Is one reason Bucs free agents are so eager to return to Tampa because of how the team treats its players?
That sure seems to be the case. We’ve heard Bucs sacks king Shaq Barrett give props to the “organization” as a major reason why he wanted to stay in town.
Now enter Lavonte David.
The Bucs’ star linebacker appeared with Colin Cowherd yesterday, seen on FS1. Cowherd asked David if there was ever “a concern” he wouldn’t be back with the Bucs in 2021.
Within David’s answer was an interesting anecdote about the Bucs’ front office.
“I don’t think ‘concern,’ David said.
“Me and my agent, we talked about things that could possibly happen. At the end of the day, I knew in my heart we were going to get something worked out because, throughout the whole process, there was good transparency. Good back-and-forth conversations communicating between both parties.
“All in all, I wanted to be back. I have built a lot of relationships in Tampa. I definitely don’t want to play [somewhere] else. So I was happy we got everything situated and get this thing moving forward.”
David also noted that a “major part” of his return was the team considered him a critical piece to the Bucs both winning the Super Bowl and also their chances of Going for Two and succeeding. From the sound of it, David respected how the Bucs respected him and were apparently upfront about what they wanted and what the Bucs could afford.
In other words, the Bucs didn’t try to get over on David.
It seems Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht is not only doing a strong job selecting talent, but his approach to contract talks is being appreciated.
March 24th, 2021 at 9:07 am
Licht has always come off as a likable guy.
March 24th, 2021 at 9:08 am
Music to my ears… other free agents take note. This × Brady effect will easily help us to improve and plug the (little) depth holes that we currently have.
Go Bucs!
March 24th, 2021 at 9:08 am
That’s the greatest and most valuable compliment a GM can get.
March 24th, 2021 at 9:29 am
We need to secure our current players and draft for depth with best fit players for development. Our deep coaching staff can tutor players up to NFL speed to take over in a year or two, instead of throwing a rookie to the wolves in a hit or miss scenereo. Draft athletes willing to learn and develop. Keep the train rolling to create longevity!
March 24th, 2021 at 9:33 am
This has been the best offseason I can remember and we haven’t really added any pieces…just kept the players we had. There shouldn’t be any “getting to know our new teammates” phase to the 2021 season. I’m excited!
March 24th, 2021 at 9:58 am
Honestly this is the most underrated part of the Licht era. Only money problems I remember was with Demar Dotson and that’s because of his agent. Gruden burned a lot of bridges in his time here. Relationships make a successful organization, and that’s been consistent since Licht got here, regardless of who was coaching.
March 24th, 2021 at 10:37 am
Two cornhuskers negotiating. That helped.
March 24th, 2021 at 10:41 am
Let There Be Licht…he’s coming of age…on the brink before hiring BA. He deserves credit for rallying to the top of his profession. I was a critic when his record dropped below that of Dominik after 5 seasons. Now…the sky’s the limit.
March 24th, 2021 at 11:27 am
“It seems Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht is not only doing a strong job selecting talent, but his approach to contract talks is being appreciated.”
-JL has grown into a Top-10 GM, imho. He has learned who to trust, (glaring at you, “simple as that” Lovie Smith) and the Glazers have provided the resources for him to build the roster and coaching staff, which is paramount.
“We are now in the Age of Licht, after enduring the Dark Days of Dominik.”🥳
March 24th, 2021 at 11:48 am
i am super excited about the dirsection Licht is taking us. It feels like he has more or less figured it out, so I expect to be contenders for a long time.