The NFL news is kicking into overdrive on Monday, as the legal tampering period opened up. While the Detroit Lions haven't made any splashes yet, they already lost one of their best defenders.
Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the New England Patriots are signing cornerback Carlton Davis to a three-year, $60 million deal that includes $34.5 million fully guaranteed.
A big one per @TomPelissero: The #Patriots are signing Carlton Davis, who gets a 3-year, $60M deal with $34.5M fully guaranteed.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 10, 2025
Carlton Davis Lands Monster Deal With New England Patriots
The Lions acquired Davis last March, and he provided them with a quality defender in the secondary. In 13 games, he recorded 56 total tackles, 11 pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, and two interceptions.
The veteran cornerback also had a 55.3 completion percentage allowed on targets, a 77.0 pass rating allowed when targeted (career-best), and only allowed two receiving touchdowns.
His season was cut short when he fractured his jaw, but that didn't stop him from landing a massive deal with the Patriots.
Getting $20 million a year is good money for a 28-year-old corner. It isn't a surprise that New England was the team to hand out this type of deal, considering they had the most salary cap in the league and needed a CB2.
With Davis no longer in the fold for Detroit, they need to find a way to replace the Auburn product. They still have Terrion Arnold, Amik Robertson, and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. on the team, but they need to add more playmakers to the group.
With Kelvin Sheppard as Detroit's new defensive coordinator, they'll need to give him quality players. The Lions have a talented group, but still fell short in the Divisional Round this past season.
Detroit sits in the top 10 in available cap space, so fans can expect them to become aggressive on the open market. Even though they lost Davis, the Lions' front office will be aggressive in finding quality players to bring to the building.