One of the reasons why the Detroit Lions have been able to go from a perennial bottom dweller to, arguably, the team to beat in the NFL has been the philosophy put in place by head coach Dan Campbell.
Campbell is known as a no-nonsense head coach, and it is quite telling that a member of Detroit's 2024 roster is bringing a different approach to his job now that he is a member of an AFC franchise that doesn't have expectations anywhere near the ones that have been placed on the Lions.
As you can see from the clip below, New England Patriots cornerback Carlton Davis III didn't just skip his new team's OTAs this week, but he up and left the country altogether. Rather than being on the practice field with his new teammates, Davis III was partying it up on the beach in Turks and Caicos
Carlton Davis Isn’t Present at Pats OTAs
As Lions fans know, Davis III signed a three-year, $54 million contract with the Patriots this offseason. With this being the most lucrative deal he has signed to date, one would think that Davis III would take it upon himself to lead by example and be on the field with the rest of New England's roster participating in OTAs.
Instead, he is enjoying part of the $34.5 million in guaranteed money he received as part of this new deal. These are voluntary team activities that Davis III is choosing not to take part in. There is nothing the Patriots can do to force him to be there and participate.
With that being said, it seems safe to assume that new head coach Mike Vrabel would have preferred one of the players expected to be a key contributor on defense to be with the rest of the roster after giving him that much money in a multi-year contract.
Fortunately for Davis III, his calendar should be much clearer than his former teammates in Detroit once the NFL playoffs roll around, as it would take a minor miracle for New England to qualify for the postseason in 2025.