Amid a chaotic first day of NFL free agency, the Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers agreed to a blockbuster trade that could shake up the NFC landscape considerably next year.
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Lions have acquired standout cornerback Carlton Davis, a 2024 sixth-round pick plus a 2025 sixth-round pick in exchange for a third-round pick in next month’s draft.
Ahead of 2022 free agency, Davis signed a lucrative three-year contract extension with the Buccaneers worth $45 million. But the cap-strapped Bucs had to save money after extending quarterback Baker Mayfield ($100 million over three years) and wide receiver Mike Evans ($52 million over two years).
That opened the door for the Lions to bolster their secondary by landing the 27-year-old Davis, a key member of the Bucs’ Super Bowl 55 championship-winning season in 2020.
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Davis joins a Detroit team that’s coming off a surprise trip to the NFC Championship Game (their first trip there in 32 years), where they narrowly dropped a heartbreaker to the San Francisco 49ers by a final score of 34-31.
Though he hasn’t earned a Pro Bowl selection yet, Davis is one of the better ball-hawking corners in the game. In 76 career games, he has nine interceptions, 73 pass defenses and a trio of forced fumbles.
The renowned ball-hawking corner can only improve a Detroit defense that finished 27th against the pass in 2023.