3 Buccaneers players who played their last game for the team
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are facing a rebuilding phase and changes are expected in the roster, which players are most likely to not return to the team?
Let’s be honest, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ window of success has closed, as they finished with the worst record in their division. Bryon Leftwich’s firing is just the start of the changes that will be taking place. With an aging and overpaid roster, change is coming to the team. The Buccaneers had the NFL’s oldest roster in 2022 and much of the team’s Super Bowl nucleus could be gone in the next few months. With a poor salary cap situation and only three draft picks in the first 150, it will be difficult for the team to replace them.
Unlike the years before, the Bucs don’t have a lot of cap space. According to Spotrac, the Buccaneers have the second-worst salary cap situation in the NFL, with a projected overage of $43.1 million as of early January 2023. 8-9 was a bad look for a team who likely had Super Bowl aspirations. In 2023 they looked more like a team that didn’t deserve to play in the playoffs.
The Dallas Cowboys ended there unceremoniously. No one expected the season to go down the way it did. Now that it’s over, some players are looking to move on. On the bright side, they have a core group of wideouts in Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Russell Gage.
On defense they have Antoine Winfield, Devin White, and Vita Vea as their core. Still, some key players are going to leave in free agency, so fans may want to prepare themselves.
3 players who have played their last game for the Buccaneers
3. Lavonte David, LB
This one is going to hurt some Bucs fans. It’s no secret that the Buccaneers are in rebuild mode following a lackluster 8-9 season. Unfortunately, one of the key players whose future with the team is uncertain is veteran linebacker Lavonte David. The 32-year-old, who is in the final season of a two-year, $25 million contract and will become a free agent in March, has not yet been offered a new deal by the Bucs.
David, who has been a staple of the Buccaneers ‘defense since being drafted in 2012, has suffered through a number of losing seasons with the team. However, he was a key contributor to the team’s Super Bowl 55 win in 2020. Despite his impressive performance this past season, with 124 tackles and 10 tackles for loss, the Buccaneers have a tough decision to make regarding David’s future with the team.
On one hand, he is a leader and a talented player who can still contribute on the field. On the other hand, the team is in need of a rebuild and may not be able to afford to retain David, who could be looking to compete for a title. The Bucs can’t give him that.