It’s now a certainty that Carlton Davis will sign elsewhere in free agency.
After his praise for Dan Campbell, it seemed possible Davis would return to the Detroit Lions. However, the reality was that he would explore his options, and he was always likely to secure a bigger contract than the Lions could afford.
Davis recently sent a message to potential free-agent suitors on Twitter.
Shortly after, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reported that the Lions intend to spend less than Davis’ expected market value of $12-$14 million per year.
Carlton Davis makes it clear he won’t return to Detroit.
The last time Davis was a free agent was in 2022, when he signed a three-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Speaking with Michael Silver of The Athletic, he admitted regretting how he handled that free agency period.
“I feel like last time, I just kind of panicked,” Davis said. “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.”
Davis then reinforced what his priority will be this time.
“This time, I ain’t gonna settle for less.”
He also told Silver he doesn’t expect the Lions to push hard to re-sign him, which aligns with Birkett’s report. Davis wants to be paid like a “top 10 or top 15 cornerback,” a range where L’Jarius Sneed currently earns $19.1 million per year with the Tennessee Titans.
Silver mentioned the New York Jets—where former Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn now coaches—and the New England Patriots as top contenders for Davis. Other teams will also show interest. If there was any lingering hope of Davis returning to Detroit, his latest comments have ended it.
