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.