TAMPA, Fla. — Lavonte David isn’t fazed by heightened expectations that’ll come with being one of the highest-paid linebackers in the NFL.

The fourth-year pro welcomes them after signing a five-year $50.25 contract extension with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are counting on him to help the franchise become relevant again.

Tampa Bay’s Lavonte David is the only player in the NFL to have 10 or more sacks and at least six interceptions in the last three seasons. He signed a five-year extension Monday. The Associated Press

David, who’s guaranteed $25.5 million, joins three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Gerald McCoy as the second core player the team has given lucrative, long-term deals since Coach Lovie Smith and General Manager Jason Licht began making personnel decisions in 2014.

The Bucs have missed the playoffs seven consecutive seasons and haven’t won a postseason game since their 2002 Super Bowl run, however McCoy and David are cornerstones of what the coach and GM believe has the potential to become a championship defense.

“We want to bring a winning mind-set back to the organization,” David said Monday. “We have the guys to do it. We have the coaches to help us. Hopefully, it happens very soon.”

David, who was entering the final year of the contract he signed as a rookie, was a second-round draft choice in 2012. He’s the only player in the league with 10 or more sacks and at least six interceptions over the past three seasons.

BRONCOS: A severe thunderstorm flooded the Broncos’ practice fields Monday and caused damage to the parking lots and viewing areas at the empty UCHealth Training Center.

More than 31/2 inches of rain fell in an hour.

There weren’t any crowds on hand because the storm struck on the players’ day off.

RAVENS: Wide receiver Steve Smith, one of 12 players in NFL history with 900 catches, says he will retire after this season – his 15th in the league.

The five-time Pro Bowler spent his first 13 season with Carolina. He intends to leave after the second season of a three-year contract with Baltimore.

He informed his teammates before practice at training camp.

JETS: New York placed safety Antonio Allen on the season-ending injured reserve list and activated defensive lineman Kevin Vickerson from the active/physically unable to perform list.

Allen tore an Achilles tendon during practice last Thursday. He was placed on the waived/injured list, cleared waivers over the weekend and placed on the Jets’ IR list. Allen, a seventh-round draft pick from South Carolina in 2012, was injured on a noncontact play in team drills when he came out of his stance and then fell to the ground.

Vickerson, signed in the offseason after one season, had been sidelined since the start of camp with a hamstring injury. He participated in practice Monday.

WASHINGTON: The lawyer for linebacker Junior Galette says a civil suit against the player has been dismissed.

Galette, 27, practiced in pads for the first time, though he still avoided contact to protect a healing shoulder injury. He smiled broadly following the workout when the dismissal of the civil suit was raised.

Galette was arrested in January in Louisiana after an alleged domestic dispute with a woman. Charges were dropped, but the episode remains under review by the league.

The NFL also is reviewing a video that shows a man resembling Galette in a fight on a beach, and the team acknowledged when it signed him on July 31 that Galette could face suspension.

DOLPHINS: Former Miami offensive line coach implicated in the team’s 2013 bullying scandal has filed a lawsuit against Ted Wells, the NFL’s lead investigator into the case.

Assistant coach Jim Turner was fired five days after Wells released a report on his investigation in early 2014. The suit was filed against Wells and his Delaware law firm, Paul Weiss.

According to the suit, the defendants’ false and misleading statements have caused Turner “significant psychological and emotional pain and suffering.” He seeks damages in an amount to be determined at trial.

BEARS: Chicago may not have first-round draft pick Kevin White running routes for Jay Cutler until the regular season.

White, the seventh selection in the 2015 draft, hasn’t practiced yet in training camp due to a left shin injury.

The Bears have been vague on the exact nature of the injury.

BROWNS: Pro Bowl tackle Joe Thomas left practice because of an injury to his right leg. He has never missed a play in his NFL career.

Thomas yelled when his leg was rolled into during an 11-on-11 scrimmage. He was checked by a trainer, who tested Thomas’ knee stability and looked at his ankle.

Coach Mike Pettine doesn’t think the injury is serious, but said Thomas would undergo more “normal” testing.

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