Jan. 27, 2026, 3:16 p.m. CT

Have we already seen Demario Davis make his last tackle with the New Orleans Saints? Davis plans to play football in 2026, but he’s quick to remind people that he’s an NFL player, not necessarily a Saints lifer. He’s changed teams before — going from the New York Jets to the Cleveland Browns, back to the Jets, and then the Saints. If it comes to it, he’ll change teams again.

That’s what Davis suggested in an interview with Kay Adams for Up & Adams. Adams asked where Davis is at in working on a new deal with the Saints, to which he responded: “Yeah, I’m coming back to the NFL. I’m coming back to the NFL, you know, and I’m excited for that. I’m super excited for that.”

Davis shouldn’t lack for options on the open market. His old position coach Mike Hodges is working with the Cincinnati Bengals‘ linebackers, and the Dallas Cowboys could look at Davis as the defensive leader they missed after trading Micah Parsons. Another one of his former coaches, Aaron Glenn, may see Davis as exactly what his New York Jets defense needs to turn around. That Davis was drafted by the Jets in the first place would make it a fitting homecoming. When Adams brought up his connection to Glenn, Davis nodded and grinned, replying “Aaron Glenn is the man.”

For his part, Davis enjoys taking a leadership role to mentor younger players: “That’s what’s motivating for me, that’s why I think I bring the most value, not only being what I am in the middle but helping those younger guys take that next step, because it’s a relational thing, and not everybody has that. And so I think you just know your superpower, and you know, everybody may need your service but somebody may need your service more. And so that’s how I kind of look at it.”

His contract expires on March 10, making him a free agent. From a salary cap perspective, Davis walking away would leave behind almost $14.3 million in dead money. That’s because they pushed so much money into future years with annual contract restructures, and now that bill has come due. The Saints can lower that number by extending his deal again just like they did with Chase Young and Juwan Johnson last year. But they’ve got to get on the same page with Davis in what he’s looking for on a new contract.

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And there’s the rub. What can the Saints afford to pay a 37-year old linebacker? What is Davis looking for? They have a couple of promising backups at the position like Pete Werner and Danny Stutsman, who needs more snaps. Moving on would make the defense a lot younger and put those guys in more prominent roles.