CHARLOTTE, NC – Thomas Davis, a three-time Pro Bowl linebacker, will end his NFL career where it began in 2005.
Davis, 37, announced on Instagram on Wednesday that he will sign a one-day contract with the Carolina Panthers on March 11 so that he can retire from the club. He was released by the Washington Football Team earlier in the day.
“I will officially return to where my heart has been all along,” Davis wrote on Instagram. “[Panthers] thank you from the bottom of my heart for this opportunity. ‘
Davis is playing his first 14 seasons with Carolina after being selected with the 14th pick of the 2005 NFL draft from Georgia. He was released after the 2018 season and then spent 2020 with former Panthers coach Ron Rivera in Washington with the Los Angeles Chargers.
In Carolina, Davis became the first player in NFL history to overcome ACL surgeries on the same knee (right) three times. All three of his Pro Bowl appearances come after the third surgery. He also won the Walter Payton NFL Award for Man of the Year in 2014.
Davis, who is considered the heart and soul of the defense during Carolina’s 2015 run to Super Bowl 50, played the title game two weeks after breaking his arm in the NFC Championship game. He had seven tackles in a 24-10 defeat to the Denver Broncos.
He still remains Carolina’s leader at all times with 789, ahead of former teammate Luke Kuechly with 690.