Tampa Bay Buccaneers franchise-tagged star wide receiver Chris Godwin earlier today. The reigning Super Bowl champions are battling massive competition in order to hold on to some of their big-name superstars who were influential in last season’s magnificent run.

Coach Bruce Arians was adamant that he wanted to hold on to the core squad in order to successfully defend their title. Tagging Godwin was the first step of the process. Now, outside linebacker Lavonte David has agreed to a new 2-year extension.

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Homegrown superstar Lavonte David is staying with the Buccaneers

The Florida-born defensive beast was one of the standout performers for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020. The local boy was influential in the Super Bowl LV win over the Patrick Mahomes-led Kansas City Chiefs.

He has been with the Buccaneers since 2012 and was even voted to the Pro Bowl in 2015. The former 2nd-round pick (58th overall) agreed to a 2-year contract extension that is reportedly worth $25 million, with $20 million in guarantees.

Lavonte David has 24 sacks and 12 interceptions during his 9-year stint in Tampa. He also has 3 defensive touchdowns to his name. The highly-rated linebacker was going to be a free agent this summer before he put pen to paper.

He will now return for the reigning champions in 2021 as they aim to successfully defend their title. At 31, David can still prove to be an important asset to coach Bruce Arians and Defensive Coordinator Todd Bowles.

Along with David, fellow Buccaneers linebacker Shaquil Barrett will also enter the free agency pool this week. Bucs GM Jason Licht has previously stated his desire to retain ‘Sack’ Barrett in 2021.

But it will not be easy to hold on to the in-demand linebacker, especially after his exploits in 2020. He is younger than David and will demand a higher-payout in order to remain in Tampa Bay.

Pirates fans will be hopeful that their star defensive linebacker and line up alongside Devon White and Lavonte David when the 2021 season starts in September. Coach Bowles will rely on these three stars when the season starts in September.

Can the Bucs defense lead Tom Brady to Super Bowl ring #8? Guess we’ll have to stick around to find out.

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