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Lions CB Carlton Davis to Sign with New England Patriots

Davis departs Lions to join New England Patriots.

John Maakaron

Detroit Lions cornerback Carlton Davis III (23).
Detroit Lions cornerback Carlton Davis III (23). / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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The Detroit Lions will be in search of a new top cornerback for the 2025 NFL season.

After playing a season in Motown, Carlton Davis has departed to sign a three-year contract with the New England Patriots. The contract is reportedly worth up to $60 million, for an average annual value of $20 million per year, and carries $34.5 million in guaranteed money.

Davis will reunite with former Lions defensive line coach Terrell Williams, who is now the Patriots' defensive coordinator under new head coach Mike Vrabel.

Detroit reportedly made a late push to retain the veteran's services, but ended up losing out to the AFC East squad.

Davis served as the Lions' choice to match up with top opposing wide receivers throughout his time in Detroit. Part of his appeal is his physicality, versatility and ability to compete against the league's top wide receivers.

Back in 2023, Bengals star wideout Ja'Marr Chase credited the former Auburn defensive back with being the toughest cornerback he has ever faced.

"For me, I’d say Carlton Davis. Only reason I say Carlton Davis is because he's longer than I expected, longer arms, and he ain’t got no knee bend," said Chase. "Just hunched his back over and played defense. I think I’ve played him twice, too, and he made some good plays on me. So, I ain’t never gonna forget that one.”

In March of 2024, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers dealt Davis and two sixth-round picks to the Lions for a third-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Davis acclimated well to playing in Aaron Glenn's man coverage defensive scheme. Playing opposite of rookie Terrion Arnold helped Detroit's secondary make steady improvements.

Unfortunately, Davis suffered a fractured jaw in the Lions' Week 15 loss to the Buffalo Bills. In 14 games, Davis secured two interceptions, 11 passes defensed, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.

With Davis departing, the Lions currently have Arnold, Amik Robertson and Ennis Rakestraw at the top of their depth chart. Kindle Vildor and Khalil Dorsey are also free agents who could potentially return to the team.

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John Maakaron
JOHN MAAKARON

John Maakaron has covered Detroit Sports since 2013. Brings a vast array of experience covering the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Lions, Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans, Detroit Mercy Titans, and Oakland University Golden Grizzlies. John brings a wealth of sports broadcast experience. In 2013, John had the vision to establish the Detroit Sports Podcast Network. Has recorded over 3000 podcasts analyzing Detroit Sports. In 2019, Sports Illustrated Media Group, a historical sports media outlet, partnered with Detroit Sports Podcast to provide daily Lions content for their growing and expanding digital media outlet. Our Lions content can also be read in the newspaper at The Oakland  Passionate about Detroit Sports and it is reflected in his coverage of the local teams!

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