Buccaneers Fans Offended By Carlton Davis Comments From Detroit Lions Press Conference
Carlton Davis was drafted by the Buccaneers in the second round of the 2018 NFL draft. He spent his entire career in Tampa. He won a Super Bowl in Tampa.
Still, it wasn't a huge surprise when Bucs GM Jason Licht pulled the trigger on a trade sending Davis to the Detroit Lions — along with a pair of sixth-round picks, including one this year and one the next — in exchange for a late third-round selection.
Davis is set to enter the final year of a three-year, $44.5 million contract he signed in 2022. The trade frees up approximately $6.3 million in salary cap space for the Buccaneers.
It's always tough to see a talented, committed and quality player sent away, but this deal makes sense for both teams. Although Davis has had trouble staying on the field in Tampa Bay and is coming off his worst season in a while, he remains a very solid starting cornerback when healthy. Davis is undoubtedly at his best when he's playing press man coverage, which is something he didn't get to do a lot of in Todd Bowles' system. The Buccaneers were unlikely to retain Davis after this season, and moving on from him now allows the team to acquire some valuable draft capital.
The Lions were in desperate need of reinforcements to their secondary, especially at the cornerback position. The Lions are still in the process of assembling a team that is capable of contending for a Super Bowl, and adding a reliable veteran corner who is capable of matching up with the opposition's best receiver if needed, is a valuable addition to their roster.
On Wednesday, Davis held his introductory press conference in Detroit.
First, he was asked about his initial reaction to being traded from Tampa.
"It was just a shock. Being there for six years, being a natural born Floridian myself, It was a shock just to get the call. And it always is. It's natural to have that response. But after talking about it with my family, understanding the situation, where I was going, the opportunity that lies ahead, it gave me a lot of excitement, a lot of hope coming here, and Detroit has a big market here man — a deep fanbase — something that I'm really looking forward to diving into and being apart of. You guys have a great team here. So when the trade happened I was shocked, but there was just two sides. An excitement and a side that was just shocked."
Davis was then asked to describe his memories of playing against Detroit this past season.
"Man, like, just blue. Just blue everywhere. And Tampa, they have a decent fanbase for sure, but like you can always tell if a team has a strong fanbase if they can like come in and just kind of like take over in some sort of fashion," Davis said. "So, you know, coming here is a great move for me."
A fair share of Tampa Bay fans took exception to this response on Twitter.
It's not unusual for certain members of a fanbase to take offense when a former player makes complimentary remarks about another team's fans. That said, it doesn't mean the player is wrong. And in the case of Carlton Davis, who was asked to reflect on the Week 6 matchup between the two teams last season, he's definitely not wrong.
The Detroit Lions' fans, at least since the team has become competitive, travel well. Not to mention, Tampa is a tropical destination. As a result, fans often jump at the opportunity to make the trip south when they see the schedule and find out their favorite team will be facing the Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. And when the Lions played the Bucs during the 2023 regular season, that's exactly what happened.
Sometimes the truth hurts. And if you ask me, all Carlton Davis did was tell the truth. He doesn't deserve to be insulted for doing so.
If certain fans in Tampa disagree, I suggest they make sure they're at every home game themselves. Or at the very least, make sure they only sell their tickets to fans of the home team. If they don't? The fan invasions at Raymond James Stadium will continue for many years to come.
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