Now the 11th-year pro will get a chance to fulfill a dream by finishing out his career with the team that drafted him. The Panthers announced Monday that Davis has signed a two-year contract extension covering the 2016 and 2017 seasons, after which he plans to retire.
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“Signing this extension is something I’ve wanted to do all along, and it just confirms that I now get to officially end my career as a Carolina Panther and that means the world to me,” Davis said in a release. “You see so many guys come through this league that can’t say they finished with the same team. It’s truly an honor. I feel this is the best organization in the entire league, and I don’t take this for granted.”
A four-time team captain, Davis has overcome three ACL surgeries to become one of the most reliable defenders in the NFL. He played in only nine games from 2009-11 thanks to those knee injuries, but has missed only two games the last three seasons, averaging 109 tackles in that span.
The 32-year-old was the 14th overall pick in the 2005 draft out of Georgia and has been a fixture in Charlotte ever since. A four-time team captain, Davis was named the 2014 Walter Payton Man of the Year for his work in the community.
