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As free agency continues to draw closer, it is looking like Detroit Lions veteran cornerback Carlton Davis won’t be back in 2025.
Davis was acquired in a 2024 offseason trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and went on to have one of his better seasons as a pro, which provided a huge boost for Detroit’s revamped secondary.
However, as The Athletic’s Mike Silver noted in an article that contains an interview with Davis, the former Super Bowl champion is not expected to return to the Lions. Also, Davis is looking for a big payday and won’t take a discount.
Davis fully expects to relocate, and he insists he won’t sign until the price is right.
“I feel like last time, I just kind of panicked,” Davis told The Athletic on Saturday. “I was younger, and my mindset was, ‘I need to go ahead and just choose.’ At the time, the thinking was, ‘This is the offer, and the more you wait, the more that number’s gonna go down.’ Yeah, that can happen, but teams know your value, and right now I’m playing my best football.
“This time, I ain’t gonna settle for less.”
Davis, 28, doesn’t believe the Lions will make an aggressive effort to bring him back.
The Lions do need a veteran cornerback, either to start or provide an insurance policy for a starting secondary that could include two second-year players in Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw Jr.
But they won’t break the bank to bring that kind of player in. As of right now, Davis is likely to be more expensive than the Lions are willing to pay.
With that in mind, we should expect Davis to move on in free agency. If so, Matt Johnson of Sportsnaut predicts he’ll land with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“The Jacksonville Jaguars secondary was abysmal last season and with the defensive line (Mason Graham) seeming to be the target in the NFL Draft, free agency can provide help at cornerback, Carlton Davis, a Florida native, held opponents under a 56% completion rate last season when targeted, snagging 2 interceptions with a 77.0 QB rating allowed,” Johnson wrote. “He’ll help take some of the pressure off Tyson Campbell and help give Jacksonville a defense capable of winning eight-plus games.”
The Jags were abysmal at defending the pass last season, with the team finishing as the league’s worst in that area. It goes without saying that Davis is just what the Jags need.
With money seemingly the deciding factor for him, Davis would likely be willing to go to a non-contending team like Jacksonville if the price is right. The Jags are sitting with $60.9 million in cap space, so they can offer Davis significant money.