Thomas Davis - Pro Football Rumors

Latest On Panthers TE Greg Olsen

July 17th, 2017 at 9:30am CST by Zachary Links

When Panthers GM Dave Gettleman gets back from vacation this week, his first order of business will be to work on an extension with linebacker Thomas Davis, a source tells Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. Meanwhile, the team has not discussed a new deal with tight end Greg Olsen and Gettleman has yet to show any indication that he is willing to give him a reworked contract.

Olsen is hoping for a new deal that will reflect his status as one of the game’s most productive tight ends. The 32-year-old is scheduled to earn base salaries of $6.5MM in the next two seasons while counting for $10.35MM and $9.75MM on the Panthers’ salary cap in those respective years. The three-year extension that Olsen signed prior to the 2015 season included a $12MM signing bonus, so the Panthers might not be so quick to give him additional money for the next two years.

Recently, when discussing his contract situation, Olsen did not rule out the possibility of a training camp holdout. Over the weekend, agent Drew Rosenhaus also hinted at the possibility, cautioning that players like Olsen do not want to “exercise” their “leverage” unless it’s necessary. If Olsen skips camp, he’ll be docked $40K for every day he misses.

Davis, 34, said earlier this summer that he is hoping for an extension that will take him beyond 2017. The veteran is coming off of his second straight Pro Bowl appearance after totaling 106 tackles, three picks, and two fumble recoveries.

Panthers LB Thomas Davis Wants Extension

June 30th, 2017 at 8:51am CST by Zachary Links

Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis is scheduled to enter his contract year, but he would like to stave that off for a bit. The 34-year-old says that he is hoping for a contract extension.

“That’s something all players in the last year of their deal, especially for guys who have put up the numbers I’ve put up and played the way I’ve played the last few years, you’d hope something get worked out,” Davis told WFNZ (audio link, transcription via PFT). “We’re not actively talking now, but hopefully we can do something before training camp happens.”

Davis is coming off of his second consecutive Pro Bowl appearance and he should still have plenty left in the tank for 2017. Last year, the veteran racked up 106 total tackles, three interceptions, two fumble recoveries, and even scores his first career defensive touchdown. For his efforts, he graded out as Pro Football Focus’ 39th best linebacker, a ranking that confirms he is starting caliber.

The Panthers haven’t always done right by veteran players, but it might behoove the Panthers to sit down with Davis’ camp and discuss a new deal. This year, he is set to count for $8.25MM against the Panthers’ cap. An extension could help smooth out that cap hit while giving Davis the extra years and security he is looking for.

NFC Notes: Vikings, Eagles, Barwin, Panthers

December 29th, 2016 at 6:28pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

It’s unclear whether Sam Bradford or Teddy Bridgewater will be the Vikings’ starting quarterback next year, but the former has a clear advantage based on health. Moreover, Bradford’s performance has impressed head coach Mike Zimmer, who heaped praise on the 29-year-old Thursday. “I think, honestly, if you sat back and looked at all the things — being traded, trying to learn a new system, having a new coach, having to learn teammates — all these things that he’s had to deal with. Injuries on offense. I thought he’s done an unbelievable job,” said Zimmer (via Ben Goessling of ESPN.com).

Minnesota paid a high price to acquire Bradford from Philadelphia in early September after Bridgewater suffered a catastrophic knee injury. Now a disappointing 7-8, the Vikings won’t replicate their playoff-bound 2015 campaign under Bridgewater, though Bradford has nonetheless fared respectably despite having little help from his offensive line or running game. With a 71.3 percent completion percentage, the seventh-year man is on track to surpass the single-season record of 71.2. He has also amassed 17 touchdowns against just four interceptions and posted a career-best 98.3 passer rating in 14 starts. Those numbers are somewhat the product of a conservative offense, though, as Bradford ranks last in the league in air yards per attempt (6.24), notes Goessling.

Thomas Davis Breaks Arm, Expects To Play In Super Bowl 50

January 24th, 2016 at 9:46pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Even though the Panthers didn’t have star linebacker Thomas Davis for most of the NFC championship game on Sunday, that didn’t stop them from shellacking the Cardinals, 49-15, to advance to Super Bowl 50.

Davis – who left in the second quarter and didn’t return – revealed afterward that he broke his right arm, USA Today’s Tom Peliserro reports (Twitter link). The question now is whether Davis will be healthy enough to face the AFC champion Broncos on Feb. 7. He thinks so.

“There is no way I’m missing the Super Bowl,” the 32-year-old told ESPN’s Josina Anderson (Twitter link).

Davis, long one of Carolina’s heart-and-soul players, has been among its driving forces this season. The 11th-year man is amid his first All-Pro campaign, having registered 105 tackles and 5.5 sacks to go along with impressive ball-hawking prowess (four forced fumbles, four interceptions). In parts of the Panthers’ two playoff wins this year, Davis has combined for 11 tackles.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFC Notes: Brindza, Panthers, H. Smith

September 28th, 2015 at 12:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Buccaneers kicker Kyle Brindza had a rough day on Sunday, missing an extra point and three field goals as his team fell to the Texans by 10 points. However, head coach Lovie Smith stressed that the Bucs are sticking with Brindza, and don’t plan on auditioning any potential replacements this week, writes Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.

“No. Kyle is our kicker,” Smith said. “He, like a lot of us, had a disappointing day. That hasn’t been the case. You’re going to have off days, and this was an off day.”

Here are a few more Monday odds and ends from around the NFC:

Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link) believes that the Panthers will eventually get cornerback Josh Norman locked up to an extension, though it will likely require an offer of $10MM+ per year, and will probably have to wait until the offseason. Norman reportedly turned down a contract offer worth about $7MM annually prior to the regular season.
Person (Twitter links) also passes along a pair of injury updates from Panthers head coach Ron Rivera, who says defensive end Charles Johnson has a hamstring issue and linebacker Thomas Davis has a pectoral injury. While Rivera doesn’t believe the Davis injury is serious, he says Johnson could be out for multiple weeks, and the club may look for outside help on the defensive line (Twitter links).
After picking up his fifth-year option for 2016, the Vikings decided to wait on signing safety Harrison Smith to a contract extension. As Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press observes (via Twitter), Smith’s price tag appears to be on the rise — through three weeks, the Vikings safety easily has the highest Pro Football Focus grade (+9.4) of anyone at the position.
Despite the Lions‘ offensive struggles so far this year, head coach Jim Caldwell hasn’t given consideration to taking over playcalling duties from OC Joe Lombardi, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.

NFC South Notes: Panthers, Davis, Saints

June 16th, 2015 at 8:22pm CST by Zachary Links

Jameis Winston worked with the second-team offense Tuesday on the opening day of the Buccaneers‘ minicamp, but coach Lovie Smith says it has no bearing on who will be the team’s starting QB, Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com writes. For his part, the No. 1 overall pick says that he doesn’t feel entitled to anything. “I haven’t earned [the starting job] until I get it,” Winston said. Here’s more from the NFC South..

Panthers coach Ron Rivera can’t see outside linebacker Thomas Davis retiring after his contract extension ends in 2017, as David Newton of ESPN.com writes. “I really can’t,” Rivera said. “Knowing him, it’ll be, ‘We’ll see how I am every year?’ … I know we talked about he’s going to retire a Panther. Maybe in three, four or five years, knowing him. As long as he stays healthy he’s got a great chance to extend his career.” The 14th overall pick out of Georgia back in 2005, Davis has been a key piece of the Panthers’ defense since entering the league, appearing in 117 games (99 starts) for the team over the last decade. For his career, he has racked up nearly 750 tackles to go along with 17.5 sacks, six interceptions, and 13 forced fumbles.
It took Kevin Williams a while to sign with a new team this summer, but he wasted little time getting acclimated to the Saints, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com writes. Still, he’s already gotten plenty of reminders about his age. “Man, you’d be surprised the stories I’ve gotten. They made me feel old, like, ‘We used to play with you on Madden,’ and all these things,” Williams said. “So I really didn’t have to do much introducing. The guys already knew who I was.” Williams hooked on with New Orleans last week.
In addition to working out wide receiver Matt James today, as was previously reported, the Saints also took a look at punter Chase Tenpenny and long snapper Chris Highland, writes Evan Woodbery of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

Thomas Davis, Panthers Agree To Extension

June 15th, 2015 at 2:12pm CST by Luke Adams

2:12pm: Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has the details on Davis’ extension, reporting that the linebacker will get a $9MM signing bonus, and salaries of $1.25MM (2015), $3.5MM (2016), and $4.25MM (2017). This year’s money ($10.5MM) is fully guaranteed, while next year’s salary is partially guaranteed ($1.5MM) for injury only.

1:23pm: The Panthers have officially announced (via Twitter) their two-year extension for Davis, who said in a statement, “I now get to officially end my career as a Carolina Panther and that means the world to me.”

1:11pm: The Panthers have reached an agreement with linebacker Thomas Davis on a deal that will extend his contract by two seasons, reports Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer (all Twitter links). According to Person, Davis’ new contract, which will run from 2015 to 2017, is expected to be worth about $18MM. The Carolina linebacker figures to sign the pact later today.

Davis, 32, had been set to earn a $7.25MM base salary in 2015 before becoming eligible for free agency in 2016. While his old contract technically ran through the 2018 season, as Over The Cap details, that was only to stretch a previous signing bonus out for cap purposes — the deal was set to void following the coming season.

As I noted last week when I examined the top cap hits by defensive position, Davis’ deal was an outlier, as he was the only outside linebacker with a top-10 cap number for 2015 who plays in a 4-3 scheme rather than a 3-4 defense. The veteran linebacker’s new contract should reduce that $9.9MM cap charge for 2015, though the initial figures suggest he’ll still be paid well at a position that typically doesn’t feature many of the league’s top earners.

The 14th overall pick out of Georgia back in 2005, Davis has been a key piece of the Panthers’ defense since entering the league, appearing in 117 games (99 starts) for the team over the last decade. For his career, he has racked up nearly 750 tackles to go along with 17.5 sacks, six interceptions, and 13 forced fumbles.

Having taken care of Davis, the Panthers will likely shift their attention to another linebacker soon, as Luke Kuechly is nearing the end of his rookie contract. Because he was also a first-round pick, Kuechly has a fifth-year option for 2016 on his deal, which the Panthers exercised earlier this spring. However, the club still may explore an extension sometime before the 2015 season rather than waiting until next year to lock up the Pro Bowler.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Extra Points: Incognito, Davis, Wright

June 11th, 2015 at 9:42pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bills‘ offseason signing of Richie Incognito raised some eyebrows, but coach Rex Ryan says that the guard has been nothing but “outstanding” so far this spring, per Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. Incognito has long been regarded as one of the better interior lineman in the NFL. However, the bullying scandal of 2013 put his career on halt and his future in jeopardy. After missing half of 2013 and all of 2014, Incognito signed with Buffalo on a one-year deal with a base salary of $900K.

Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis anticipates landing a contract extension before the start of training camp, Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer writes. Davis, 32, is entering the final year of a contract that will pay him $7.25MM this year, with a salary cap number of $9.9MM. Davis has averaged 77 tackles a year since returning from the third ACL reconstruction on his right knee in 2012. The Panthers drafted his likely successor when they took former Washington linebacker Shaq Thompson with the 25th overall pick this year, but he’s still confident that Carolina will present him with a fair deal.
With the Patriots having waived tight end Tim Wright, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com revisits the trade that brought Wright to New England last summer for Logan Mankins. As Reiss observes, the Pats also received cap relief and a draft pick in that trade, so Wright may not have been the key piece in the deal, but it’s still a bit surprising that the club parted ways with him.
Head coach Gus Bradley and the Jaguars expect to see veteran pass rusher Chris Clemons at next week’s mandatory minicamp, as Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union writes. Clemons hasn’t been present for Jacksonville’s voluntary OTAs this year, but would forfeit his workout bonus if he doesn’t show up next week.
Frustrated with injuries, Eagles outside linebacker Travis Long nearly walked away from the game before ever seeing live action, as Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com writes.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

NFC Mailbags: Washington, Glennon, Panthers, McClain

June 6th, 2015 at 11:33am CST by Ben Levine

It’s Saturday, and that means ESPN.com’s NFL writers are opening their mailbags and answering questions from readers. Let’s take a look at some interesting notes from the NFC…

If DeSean Jackson struggles in 2015, John Keim could envision the wideout playing elsewhere in 2016. Washington selected Jamison Crowder in the fourth round, so they have young wideouts to move forward with. However, if the veteran produces, Keim could see the Pro Bowler sticking around.
Pat Yasinskas believes Mike Glennon will spend this season with the Buccaneers, even if the quarterback has a good preseason and improves his trade value. The 25-year-old is a solid backup, and the writer believes the team would have already dealt Glennon if they had any intention to move him.
With the Cam Newton deal wrapped up, David Newton would expect the Panthers to sign linebacker Thomas Davis to a new deal prior to training camp. Since Luke Kuechly will definitely be on the roster for the 2016 season, the writer believes the team won’t rush to sign the former Defensive Player of the Year.
When asked why Rolando McClain took so long to opt for surgery, Todd Archer clarified that surgery is always a “last-case option.” However, the writer questions why the Cowboys linebacker hasn’t been at Valley Ranch for rehab.

NFC Notes: Crowder, Panthers, Seahawks

June 4th, 2015 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Rookie wide receiver Jamison Crowder, selected by Washington in the fourth round of this year’s draft, was allegedly involved in a domestic dispute, according to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports. As Marvez details, a since-deleted Instagram post appears to accuse Crowder of domestic violence (Twitter link).

“The Washington Redskins are aware of an off-field situation involving Jamison Crowder,” the team said in a statement to FOX. “We have been in touch with the NFL office and will continue to follow proper League protocol and assist them in any way we can to gather all of the facts. We will not be making any further comment at this time.”

As we wait to see what comes of the investigation into Crowder, here are a few other Thursday items from across the NFC:

“The biggest thing it does for us is it gives us a fixed cost,” Panthers GM Dave Gettleman said of Cam Newton‘s new extension, per Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. “And we’ve been very intentional and thoughtful about how we’re spending our money, and we’ll continue to do that. We’ve been planning for this.” As Person notes, the team has also been planning for a new contract for linebacker Luke Kuechly, which should happen eventually, and the Panthers want to extend linebacker Thomas Davis as well.
Addressing Jermaine Gresham‘s visit to New Orleans, Saints head coach Sean Payton said the tight end’s meeting went well, and that he thinks Gresham could be a good fit (Twitter link via Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune).
The Seahawks announced a handful of promotions in their front office today, including elevating Scott Fitterer and Trent Kirchner to co-directors of player personnel. Both Fitterer and Kirchner drew interest from other teams this past winter, as Fitterer interviewed with the Eagles and Kirchner met with the Jets.
Speaking of those Seahawks, Jason Fitzgerald of The Sporting News takes a closer look at the salary cap situation in Seattle, where the team must make decisions on a number of players eligible for contract extensions and one notable contributor (Michael Bennett) who wants to rework his deal.
The Lions have moved Xavier Proctor from the defensive line to the other side of the ball, and will try him as an offensive tackle, per Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (Twitter link).