Rondé Barber Talks Loyalty Lessons
March 29th, 2025
So the Bucs re-signed veteran warriors Lavonte David and Chris Godwin in free agency for huge money.
Buccaneers icon and Hall of Fame cornerback Rondé Barber dove into that reality recently on something called Horrow Sports.
Barber was adamant that NFL teams will not give a hometown player extra cash in his paycheck. While a player might agree to a hometown discount, a team won’t sweeten the pot beyond what it believes is a player’s true worth. Joe can’t necessary swallow that whole. But hey, Barber is a great source.
He strongly implied that Team Glazer learned lessons when Warren Sapp and John Lynch left the Bucs, and Barber believes he personally benefited from that with the Bucs not wanting him to follow in their footsteps.
The Bucs’ hierarchy understands David’s value as he enters his 14th season, per Barber, even if Father Time is catching up to him.
“Lavonte’s probably not the player he was four years ago, but he’s still a pretty damn good football player and a guy that would be hard to replace in so many different ways — not just on the field but in the locker room and what he means to the franchise and what he means to the fan base,” Barber said.
“… I think if you have the right ownership, certainly the right front office and GM … I think they understand the value that your players have for you. It helps your team. It helps the depth, the guys down at the bottom of the roster when you see loyalty because it’s so rare in professional sports these days. This [Bucs] team seems to have it, and I think it’s a good thing.”
Yeah, it’s a damn good thing. There’s definitely two-way loyalty at One Buc Palace. Impressive stuff.
If it extends to franchise quarterback Baker Mayfield being willing to continue playing for a below-market-value contract, that would stun the NFL and help keep the Bucs in position to rack up playoff appearances.
March 29th, 2025 at 4:29 pm
Talk about loyalty, Barber has worked for the same team his whole career!
March 29th, 2025 at 4:37 pm
Loyalty works both ways and it must be accompanied by respect. There’s no loyalty without respect, and players highly value respect. Godwin, Evans, Wirfs, David, and Mayfield are perfect examples of what respect will do for a team wanting to offer new or extend existing contracts.
March 29th, 2025 at 5:39 pm
Anyone seen the Draft hats this year – awful looking
March 29th, 2025 at 6:06 pm
It will be interesting to see what Baker decides. He’s had three great years. I doubt he gives the Bucs a discount.
March 29th, 2025 at 6:13 pm
Lets face it folks, the only reason bucs made the playoffs recently is because the nfc south is pathetic. Not that the Bucs don’t have potential but have been pretty fortunate. Better be lucky than good I suppose. Time to take the next step Bowles and scheme up the D to actually force 3 and outs.
March 29th, 2025 at 6:15 pm
Joe … ‘Barber was adamant that NFL teams will not give a hometown player extra cash in his paycheck. While a player might agree to a hometown discount, a team won’t sweeten the pot beyond what it believes is a player’s true worth.’
Not understanding Ronde’s argument I guess. I don’t know what Winfield’s ‘true worth’ is, but he’s now the league’s highest paid Safety making slightly over $21 mil per year. Is that really his ‘true worth’? The next closest safety to him is Derwin James at $19 mil/year. Did Antoine’s pay get ‘sweetened’ to keep him?
Or was Tristan Wirfs salary ‘sweetened’ to keep him? Wirfs makes $28.1 mil/year. Next closest Left Tackle, Detroit’s Penei Sewell, is making $28.0 mil/year. From a ‘respect’ standpoint, I wonder if the Bucs thought that making Wirfs the highest paid Left Tackle in the NFL was important when they redid his contract? Got a hunch that they did.
Bucs have gotten some ‘good deals’ (hometown discounts?) but it’s also worked the other way at times (a little sweetener?). I’d say that’s what makes Jason so good. Kenny Rogers? ‘Gotta know when to hold them, know when to fold them’.
March 29th, 2025 at 6:21 pm
@DR – I agree it seems to go both ways, especially considering both Winfield and Wirfs were made the highest paid players in league history at their respective positions… definitely doesn’t sound like a discount lol.
(Of course I full believe they’re worth it too, assuming they can stay healthy…)
March 29th, 2025 at 6:56 pm
That is the first time I’ve ever heard Ronde Barber speak with such ignorance
March 29th, 2025 at 7:06 pm
I was thinking that too, DR. And, just for the cherry on top, Jason paid Lavonte more than Bobby Wagner got. So there’s that as well.
March 29th, 2025 at 7:47 pm
I think Joe and Barber are referencing older players on the back half of their careers or with injury uncertainty (less leverage for player). I suspect Baker will be rewarded with a bigger contract the next go around. Not top of market, but in that realm. Obviously Mayfield was looking for stability in a 3 year, 100 mil contract, while also understanding he only had 1 year of good tape. Jason won’t undercut a QB of Bakers caliber, and I’d bet he gets that extension a year early.
March 29th, 2025 at 7:54 pm
Monte Kiffen
March 29th, 2025 at 8:16 pm
I think Sapp and Lynch would have been retained by the current leadership
March 29th, 2025 at 8:57 pm
Beeej
I think you’re right.. that had Gruden written all
over it.
They were both more popular than he was and he couldn’t deal.
There was damn near a candlelight vigil when Lynch was released. One of those things where I still remember where I was when my wife called to tell me…
March 29th, 2025 at 9:45 pm
That is complete ignorance. Sapp did nothing after he left. He was never the player with Raiders that he was with the Bucsand largely irrelevant. Lynch had some good years with left in Denver but he did have Champ Bailey in that secondary and honestly struggled at times with teams that had more than one WR threat. Bucs gave up a lot to get Gruden. Look it up! Therefore these guys were at the end of their career. The rebuild was the only way to go. Although the guys after Gruden and Bruce Allen couldn’t hit water falling out of a boat.
March 29th, 2025 at 10:05 pm
You don’t let legends walk..
Lynch had great years after… as hard hitting as ever..
Gruden and Allen did a dreadful job of running the team..
March 30th, 2025 at 12:04 am
That was Rich McKay’s doing, and a big reason why Gruden was so done with him. He loved Sapp and Lynch — well understood, well documented. That was a Rich McKay moce, the beginning of the sabotage moves, culminating with him leaving to be the GM of the Falcons. What a snake.
March 30th, 2025 at 1:03 am
Aqualung
McKay left in 2003.
Lynch in 2004
Sapp in 2005.
Cmon man..
March 30th, 2025 at 1:59 am
3RB Says:
March 29th, 2025 at 9:45 pm
That is complete ignorance. Sapp did nothing after he left. He was never the player with Raiders that he was with the Bucs and largely irrelevant.
He had 29.5 sacks in 4 years with the Raiders
March 30th, 2025 at 3:32 am
Also means something to guys thinking of signing here in Tampa. We now have solid reputation of treating guys fairly. Add that if you out perform your contract you will be rewarded and the next FA sees that.
Go Bucs!
March 30th, 2025 at 6:01 am
Any y’all study Stoicism?
“Loyalty is the holiest good in the human heart.” – Seneca
March 30th, 2025 at 7:35 am
D rules, I think we’re talking later in a players career. There’s a hundred teams that would pay Wirfs as compared to David at this stage. I think they over paid Winfield, but it was his second contract also, young players. We’ll see how loyal they are to Wirfs down the road. You get better, or you get worse. If resigning ageing players makes us better, so be it. If not, the goal is to improve the team, not be loyal.