Lavonte David Only Considering Re-Signing With Buccaneers Or Retiring
Last offseason, Lavonte David was interested in testing free agency before ultimately re-signing with the Buccaneers. This time around, it sounds like the veteran linebacker isn’t as eager to stretch out his free-agent process.
During an appearance on The Ronnie & TKras Show on WDAE, the impending free agent acknowledged that he’s only considering re-signing with the Buccaneers or calling it a career.
“I would want to stay a Buc for the rest of my career as long as I play,” David said (h/t Cory Woodroof of For the Win). “I do want to retire a Buc, but, y’know, it’s just got to be a mutual thing.”
After flirting with the idea of playing elsewhere last offseason, the 12-year veteran played out the 2023 campaign on a one-year, $4.5MM contract with the Buccaneers. Despite 2023 marking his age-33 season, David proceeded to have one of the most productive seasons of his career. He finished the year having compiled 134 tackles and 4.5 sacks, with Pro Football Focus rating him as the No. 28 overall linebacker.
Following his underwhelming free agency experience, David is now making it clear that it’s Tampa-or-bust heading into this offseason. The former second-round pick certainly deserves to finish his career with the Buccaneers, as it’s the only team he’s played for since entering the NFL in 2012. He ranks second in franchise history in total tackles (1,480, behind Derrick Brooks‘ 1,713), and he’s top-10 in the majority of the franchise’s other defensive categories (including first in forced fumbles).
The Buccaneers have good reason to get clarity on David’s situation as soon as possible. If the organization does not re-sign David before the start of the 2024 league year on March 13, they will be hit with a $2.67MM dead-money charge. Of course, the team’s financial hurdles aren’t nearly as troubling this year; after carrying more than $70MM in dead money this past year, the Bucs are projected to hold more than $37MM in cap space heading into the offseason.
Even with those previous monetary limitations, the Buccaneers have done an admirable job of retaining many of their top free agents. So, the front office probably won’t think twice about bringing David back for at least another season.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 2/22/24
Today’s reserve/futures contract:
Kansas City Chiefs
Gillespie was a fourth-round pick by the Raiders in 2021, but after getting into 11 games as a rookie, he’s bounced around the NFL. Over the past two-plus seasons, he’s spent time with the Titans, Jaguars, Texans, and Chiefs. The defensive back caught on with Kansas City towards the end of this past season but didn’t make an appearance with the big-league club.
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/22/24
One minor move to pass along today:
Washington Commanders
- Re-signed: WR/PR Kazmeir Allen, G Mason Brooks
Both of the 2023 UDFAs spent the majority of their rookie seasons on Washington’s practice squad. Allen made a name for himself at UCLA, hauling in 12 touchdowns in 38 games. He was also a collegiate sprinter, making him a natural candidate for return duties.
Eagles Re-Sign TE Albert Okwuegbunam
Albert O. is staying in Philadelphia. According to ESPN’s Field Yates, tight end Albert Okwuegbunam has signed a one-year deal to stick with the Eagles. The 25-year-old was set to hit unrestricted free agency next month.
Following three seasons in Denver, Okwuegbunam was facing waivers at the end of the 2023 preseason. The Eagles swooped in and added him via trade, acquiring the tight end and a seventh-round pick for a sixth-round selection.
Despite the trade, Okwuegbunam barely came off the bench this past season, even with starter Dallas Goedert sidelined. He was limited to only four games in 2023, finishing the year fourth among Eagles tight ends in offensive snaps (behind Goedert, Jack Stoll, and Grant Calcaterra). The Eagles still valued Okwuegbunam enough to give him a chance at a 2024 roster spot, and the veteran could provide the organization with a bit of insurance with Stoll hitting restricted free agency.
Following a productive college career at Missouri, Okwuegbunam was a fourth-round pick by the Broncos in 2020. He was limited to only four games as a rookie thanks to a torn ACL, but he earned a significant offensive role during his second season. He finished the 2021 campaign with 33 catches for 330 yards and two touchdowns, starting six of his 14 appearances. With rookie Greg Dulcich added to the depth chart in 2022, Okwuegbunam saw a lesser role, finishing with only 10 catches for 95 yards.
Pro Football Focus gave Okwuegbunam solid reviews through his first two seasons in the NFL, but the website hasn’t been as favorable on his 2022 and 2023 performances. If the tight end is able to rediscover any of that previous talent, he could find himself with a larger role in 2024.
Raiders “Very Unlikely” To Pursue Justin Fields?
The Raiders are one of the few QB-needy teams that don’t possess a top-three pick and don’t have exclusive negotiating rights with a starting-caliber option. As a result, they’ve been mentioned as a natural suitor for Bears QB Justin Fields. However, The Athletic’s Vic Tafur dismisses that notion, stating that it’s “very unlikely” the Raiders pursue Fields.
[RELATED: Raiders Interested In Acquiring No. 1 Pick]
Tafur’s logic mostly surrounds the presence of new Raiders offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, who guided the Bears’ offense for the past two years. Following disappointing results between 2022 and 2023, Getsy was let go by Chicago, but that didn’t stop Antonio Pierce from bringing him on the Raiders staff.
As Tafur notes, the Raiders hired Getsy because of his previous pass-game work in Green Bay and his creative “run-game concepts” in Chicago, with Pierce and the organization chalking up the Bears’ offensive struggles to the player under center. The team has apparently already made up their mind about who was to blame in Chicago, and it doesn’t sound like they have any interest in replicating that arrangement in Las Vegas.
Jimmy Garoppolo isn’t expected to be back with the Raiders next season, and despite Aidan O’Connell’s solid showing as a starter, the 2023 fourth-round pick won’t just be handed the reins in 2024. While a few signs point to the Raiders pursuing a veteran QB via free agency, it sounds like the organization will be more aggressive in moving up in the draft.
We heard recently that the Raiders were eyeing a move for the first-overall pick, although the Bears are expected to require a historic haul for the selection. Pierce’s connections to Jayden Daniels, who was at Arizona State during the new Raiders HC’s time with the Sun Devils, have also emerged. With Caleb Williams likely going No. 1, the Raiders wouldn’t have to deal with Chicago’s trade demands in that scenario. Still, if the Raiders are truly interested in the LSU product, they’d have to find a way to move up from their current No. 13 draft position.
Texans Eyeing Free Agent Running Backs?
After Dameon Pierce struggled during his sophomore campaign, the Texans could be in the market for a new starting running back. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, there’s buzz around the NFL that the Texans could try to improve at the position as they look to take some of the load off quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Pierce appeared to be the team’s RB of the future following his standout rookie campaign. The 2022 fourth-round pick finished his first season in the NFL with 1,104 yards from scrimmage, the third-most among rookie RBs (behind Kenneth Walker and Tyler Allgeier).
However, Pierce couldn’t replicate that production in 2023. He didn’t top four yards-per-rush in any of his first seven starts, and following a three-game inactive streak, he was firmly behind Devin Singletary on the depth chart.
Over those final seven games, Pierce only garnered 36 carries, and he was limited to only six offensive snaps in the postseason. In total, Pierce finished this past season with 517 yards from scrimmage on 158 touches, good for an average of 3.3 yards per touch. Pro Football Focus ultimately graded him 47th among 59 qualifying RBs.
Singletary topped 1,000 yards from scrimmage for a third-straight season, but the veteran is set to hit free agency. While there’s a chance he could look to extend his stay in Houston beyond one season, there’s no guarantee he’ll be back. Dare Ogunbowale is also an impending free agent, so the Texans will need to add some depth at the position.
While the organization could look to reset the position at the draft, it sounds like they’re considering using a chunk of their $60MM-plus in cap space at the RB position. Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Derrick Henry, Tony Pollard, and Austin Ekeler lead the list of free agent RBs heading into the offseason.
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/21/24
Today’s minor moves:
Houston Texans
- Re-signed: OL Dieter Eiselen, CB D’Angelo Ross
Minnesota Vikings
- Re-signed: S Theo Jackson
The Texans made sure to retain Ross, a special-teams gunner, and Eiselen, a special-teams blocker. In fact, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston passes along that Eiselen received a two-year deal from the Texans worth $2.095MM (including a $10K signing bonus).
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 2/21/24
Today’s reserve/futures contracts:
Kansas City Chiefs
Philadelphia Eagles
Patriots Notes: Covington, Brown, Wolf
Considering New England’s unconventional approach to their defensive coaching staff in recent years, it was uncertain how much control new defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington would have on Jerod Mayo‘s staff. It sounds like Covington will have full authority over his defense, as the coach revealed to reporters today that he’ll be the defensive play-caller this season (via Karen Guregian of MassLive).
It had been years since Bill Belichick employed a traditional DC, with Mayo and Steve Belichick most recently splitting the unofficial role. The younger Belichick was the one calling defensive plays, but he won’t be sticking around New England after taking the DC job at the University of Washington. Mayo himself could have been a candidate for the defensive play-caller role, but it sounds like he’ll be leaning on his DC during games.
This will be Covington’s first time serving in either of those two roles in the NFL. Following a one-season stint as Eastern Illinois’ DC, he’s served in a variety of roles on New England’s coaching staff.
On the other side of the ball, Troy Brown will be sticking around as the Patriots’ wide receivers coach (via Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald). The long-time Patriots WR transitioned to coaching following his playing career, and he’s guided New England’s wideouts since the 2021 campaign. With Mayo revamping the coaching staff, it was uncertain if Brown would be retained in his current role.
Elsewhere in New England, there’s been a bit of confusion surrounding who’s actually leading the front office. Eliot Wolf is expected to control the 53-man roster for at least the time being, and it sounds like the executive had some extra responsibilities while Mayo filled his coaching staff. The new Patriots head coach told reporters that Wolf participated in all of the coaching interviews this offseason (via Kyed).
The son of Pro Football Hall of Fame executive Ron Wolf, Eliot Wolf spent more than a decade with Green Bay before joining New England’s operation. His experience with the Packers has clearly been reflected on the coaching staff, as the team has brought in ex-Packers assistants like Alex Van Pelt, Ben McAdoo, Jerry Montgomery and Alonzo Highsmith.
Bears Discussed Pairing Justin Fields With Rookie QB; Falcons On Trade Radar?
When discussing the Bears’ upcoming draft plans, much of the discourse has surrounded two scenarios: they trade the No. 1 pick and continue building around Justin Fields or they trade Fields and select a rookie quarterback with the first-overall selection. There could now be a third scenario: the team keeps Fields and they still select a QB with the first pick.
[RELATED: Bears Seeking “Historic Haul” For No. 1 Pick]
As Albert Breer of SI.com writes, the idea of keeping Fields and selecting a rookie QB is “an intriguing idea that the team has discussed.” While this could simply be a smokescreen by the Bears as they look to pry a “historic haul” for the first-overall pick, there is some merit to the strategy.
As Breer notes, Fields is only due $3.2MM in cash for 2024. Couple that with the hypothetical number-one pick’s rookie salary, and the Bears would still be eyeing one of the least expensive QB corps in the NFL. Further, plenty of teams have redshirted their rookie quarterbacks as they learned the system.
Of course, this tactic has come with varying success, and most teams look to pair a rookie QB with a veteran. Fields, who will be 25 in March, just completed his third NFL season, and you could make an argument that his NFL future is just as bright as any of the top quarterback prospects in this year’s draft.
In other words, it would be a bit surprising if the Bears actively sought a QB competition, especially with the context of Fields’ next contract. In this scenario, the front office would surely lose leverage on both assets, and while they would technically control the process, the team wouldn’t have an infinite amount of time to draw out the process.
While there were some rumblings of a pro-Fields direction, the most recent reports point to the Bears keeping the first-overall pick and trading Fields. The team probably won’t lack for suitors, especially if they only manage to garner offers that are headlined by a Day 2 pick. One team that could emerge in the sweepstakes is the Falcons. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero, and Mike Garafolo note that Fields is a “name many around the NFL connect to Atlanta.”
The team’s Desmond Ridder experiment in 2023 likely cost Arthur Smith his job, and there’s a good chance Raheem Morris will look for a new face to lead his QB room. The Falcons could also be an option for a rookie QB, although they’d likely have to trade up from No. 8 if they hope to get any of the top prospects at the position.