The Washington Football Team is releasing veteran linebacker Thomas Davis, who plans to retire. Washington is affording Davis the opportunity to sign a one-day contract with the Carolina Panthers before officially retiring.
Davis announced on his Instagram his release from Washington will allow him to return to the “place that my heart has been all along,” on March 11, Davis wrote.
Davis was a first-round pick of the Panthers in the 2005 NFL Draft. He spent 14 seasons with the Panthers. There he made the Pro Bowl three times and was first-team All-Pro in 2013. He is the first known player to return from three torn ACLs in the same knee, suffering the injuries in 2009, 2010, and 2011 seasons.
Thomas Davis signed a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2019 after initially planning to retire following the 2018 season. Despite a solid season in which he had 112 tackles, he was released and signed with Washington.
In Washington, Davis reunited with Ron Rivera, who was also his head coach for eight seasons in Carolina. Davis was handpicked by Rivera, who was in his first year as Washington’s head coach, to help change the culture within the team’s locker room.
Davis played in seven games for Washington and appeared to a shell of himself. In December, he announced he would retire at the end of the 2020 season. Now with his release from Washington, Davis will get sign with the Panthers to end his career with the same team it began.
