Carlton Davis is headed for a raise and a new home.
The 28-year-old cornerback has agreed to terms on a three-year, $60 million deal with the New England Patriots, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported Monday. Davis' contract includes $34.5 million fully guaranteed.
With a career-high Pro Football Focus defensive grade (74.5) in his pocket and past contractual regrets in mind, Davis understood there was no better time than now to cash in on his performance. He left Detroit in search of a pay bump and found it with the Patriots, who will hand him an average of $20 million per year after Davis earned $14.5 million with the Lions in 2024, leaping into the top 10 for average annual salaries among cornerbacks.
The contract accomplishes precisely what Davis set out to achieve: Get paid like a "top 10 or top 15 cornerback." After abruptly deciding to stay with the Buccaneers in 2022, he knew he wanted to test the market and comes out a financial winner.
Davis' 2024 season saw him post the seventh-lowest completion percentage allowed as the nearest defender in man coverage (45.2), per Next Gen Stats, boosting his free-agent profile and essentially pricing himself out of a return to Detroit, where his season ended prematurely due to a broken jaw.
Davis' arrival gives the Patriots a solid cornerback pairing with promising youngster Christian Gonzalez lining up opposite the veteran. With Mike Vrabel now patrolling the sideline and bringing his defensive identity to Foxborough, New England isn't wasting time in its efforts to upgrade its roster.