Carlton Davis was drafted by the Buccaneers in the second round of the 2018 NFL draft. He spent his entire career in Tampa. He won a Super Bowl in Tampa.
Still, it wasn’t a huge surprise when Bucs GM Jason Licht pulled the trigger on a trade sending Davis to the Detroit Lions — along with a pair of sixth-round picks, including one this year and one the next — in exchange for a late third-round selection.
Davis is set to enter the final year of a three-year, $44.5 million contract he signed in 2022. The trade frees up approximately $6.3 million in salary cap space for the Buccaneers.
- It’s always tough to see a talented, committed and quality player sent away, but this deal makes sense for both teams. Although Davis has had trouble staying on the field in Tampa Bay and is coming off his worst season in a while, he remains a very solid starting cornerback when healthy. Davis is undoubtedly at his best when he’s playing press man coverage, which is something he didn’t get to do a lot of in Todd Bowles’ system. The Buccaneers were unlikely to retain Davis after this season, and moving on from him now allows the team to acquire some valuable draft capital.