Bucs LB Lavonte David agrees to 5-year contract extension

If there was a championship belt in existent that goes to the most under-appreciated linebacker in all of football, then Lavonte David of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would have held it longer than Hulk Hogan did in the 1980s.

NFL Network’s Rand Getlin first broke the news of the length of the contract, while his colleague Ian Rapoport reports that the deal is worth $50.25M.

A second-round pick in 2012, David was one of the NFL’s most underpaid players, due to enter the final year of his rookie contract. He was even better as a sophomore in 2013, stuffing the stat sheet with 145 tackles, seven sacks, 10 passes defensed and five interceptions en route to a first-team All Pro nod.

David is the Bucs’ weakside linebacker, a central place in coach Lovie Smith’s defensive scheme – Derrick Brooks as soon as manned the identical place, as did Lance Briggs on Smith’s Chicago Bears groups.

Smart move by Bucs to lock up David.

The Buccaneers made good on their promise to keep All-Pro linebacker Lavonte David in the fold.

He has 10 sacks and six interceptions in 64 career games, all starts.

David, 25, who would have been a free agent subsequent spring, had expressed a dedication to get a deal accomplished to stick with the Bucs, and the staff introduced the extension Sunday afternoon.

David’s 20 tackles for loss in 2012 were the second most on record for a rookie since the NFL began tracking the statistic in 2000.

David agreed to terms Sunday and is expected to sign the contract on Monday, when the Bucs have scheduled a news conference to announce the extension.