Demario Davis 'Rumblings' Could Spell Trouble for Saints

We are just a few weeks away from free agency kicking off across the National Football League.

In the meantime, the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine is set to kick off on Monday. The combine is the unofficial start of real action kicking off across the NFL offseason. The combine is scheduled to run through March 2. Over the next week, we will see the top prospects for the 2026 NFL Draft show off what they can do, teams will meet with prospects and also all of the top decision makers will be together, so it's a perfect time to get conversations started about potential moves.

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Things aren't going to slow down for a bit. Teams have until March 3 to hand out franchise/transition tags. Then, just a few days later, we'll see free agency kick off on March 9. For the New Orleans Saints, it will be interesting to see if the franchise can get any deals done with their veteran free agents (Demario Davis, Cam Jordan and Taysom Hill) before the market fully opens. When discussing one "hot topic" for each franchise, The Athletic's Larry Holder noted that there have "been rumblings" that Davis could end up leaving.

The Saints star is an intriguing free agent

Dec 28, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis (56) stretches against the Tennessee Titans during pre-game warmups at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

"New Orleans Saints," Holder wrote. "How will the Saints handle the contracts of some of their veteran stalwarts? Aging players such as Cam Jordan, Demario Davis, Alvin Kamara and Taysom Hill carry salary cap figures ranging between $14 million and $19 million, via Over the Cap.

"Jordan, Davis and Hill have voided contracts upcoming and cutting Kamara would be essentially no cap savings. So, will the Saints extend contracts on these players to lower cap figures? There already have been rumblings of Davis possibly playing elsewhere in 2026. Decisions on all of these players will mold how the Saints move forward in free agency and the draft."

Davis spent the last eight seasons with New Orleans and is a franchise pillar. Of the three, Davis is the guy to watch the closest. He has acknowledged that he's planning on playing in 2026, but has made it sound like he's open to other options.

"I'm coming back to the NFL," Davis said. "I'm coming back to the NFL. And I'm excited about that. I am super excited about that. I keep training all the way through the Super Bowl so my body feels great. I'm just excited. I'm just excited for the offseason. We'll finish up these games watching them through the Super Bowl and then get into my offseason regimen. ... How that plays out, we shall see."

New Orleans is trending in the right direction itself and finding a way to keep Davis on a new deal would help in 2026. But it doesn't sound like that's a guarantee.

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