New England Patriots Special Teams Standout Cody Davis Retires

Cody Davis, a safety and special teams standout for the New England Patriots since 2020, has announced his retirement from the NFL after 11 seasons.

The New England Patriots will be without the services of one of their most reliable special teamers for the upcoming season. 

Safety Cody Davis, who has been a key member of the Patriots third-phase since 2020, announced his retirement from the NFL on Thursday morning in a three-part social media posting.

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” wrote Davis, quoting 2 Timothy 4:7. “I am officially retiring from the NFL,” he continued. “I am eternally grateful for this football journey and what it has meant to me and my family.” 

New England Patriots safety Cody Davis (22) Brenden Schooler (41) and Matthew Slater (18)

Samantha Madar/USA TODAY NETWORK / USA

Despite being officially listed as a safety, Davis has been one of the team’s most valuable special teamers; second only to recently-retired team captain Matthew Slater. The  11-year NFL veteran joined the NFL in 2013 as an undrafted free agent out of Texas Tech. Following stops with the Los Angeles Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars, he joined the Patriots as a free agent prior to the 2020 season. He led the team with 15 special teams tackles in 2021.

Davis suffered a non-contact knee injury in 2022 while covering a kickoff return in the first half of New England's Week 6 win over the Cleveland Browns, ending his season. Prior to his injury, Davis had played in six games with the Pats, earning six special teams tackles on 106 snaps. In addition to his coverage duties, he also served as New England’s personal punt protector. In Davis’ absence, the role was given to safety Adrian Phillips.

Davis re-signed with the Patriots on a one-year contract extension in March 2023. He was placed on the reserve/PUP list to start the season. However, he was activated on Oct. 21. Davis scored his first career touchdown, recovering a Marvin Mims fumble forced by Marte Mapu in a Week 16 26-23 win over the Denver Broncos.

In addition to losing Davis, the Patriots will also face a new season without Slater — a mainstay in Patriots special teams for 16 seasons, who announced his retirement last month. Accordingly, new special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer, faces a tall task in restoring prominence to the team’s third phase. Once considered the the NFL’s gold standard in special teams preparation and execution, the Pats have significantly regressed in recent years. Throughout the past two seasons, the Pats special teams corps finished No. 28 in special teams DVOA in 2023, after finishing last in the metric in 2022.