Veteran defensive back retiring from NFL

Cody Davis

Cody Davis‘ NFL career dates back to 2013, but he will not pursue a 12th season in the league. The defensive back and core special teamer announced his retirement on Thursday.

The 34-year-old entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent and he spent his first five seasons with the Rams. Davis made the only five starts of his career during his time with the franchise, but he also established his presence as a key special teams contributor along the way. He carried on in that capacity with the Jaguars in 2018 and ’19.

Davis spent his final four seasons in New England, working alongside third phase ace Matthew Slater during his Patriots run. The former played only one snap on defense over that span, but he logged 905 on special teams. Now, the team will be without both Slater and Davis for the 2024 campaign, something which will represent a notable absence for new head coach Jerod Mayo.

“I am eternally thankful for this football journey and what it has meant to me and my family,” Davis’ announcement reads in part. “For 22 years football has been what I have done, but it is not who I am… I have more dreams and look forward to chasing them!”

The Texas Tech product secured a deal averaging $2.5M per season during his Jacksonville tenure, and he played on three separate Patriots contracts, the last two of which had an AAV over $2M. In all, he racked up over $16M in career earnings. Davis will hang up his cleats in lieu of pursuing a free-agent deal with New England or another team and instead turn his attention to his post-playing days.

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