MOBILE, Ala. — After Demario Davis teased he could be testing the market in free agency this spring, New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said Wednesday he wants the linebacker to return to the team next season.
Davis’ contract doesn’t expire until March, but the 37-year-old indicated that he was leaving his options open during a conversation with FanDuel’s Kay Adams. Loomis said he hadn’t watched the interview but had heard about the remarks.
“Yeah, we love Demario,” Loomis said Wednesday. “I want him back. I hope he’s back, but we’ll get through that.”
Davis carried a $6.5 million base salary in 2025 and is coming off a season in which he recorded a career high in tackles. Davis, who has been with the franchise since 2018, told reporters late last season that he wanted to play next season and wasn’t worried about his contract, noting the issue “always worked itself out.” Davis’ contract is set to void this offseason, though he’ll carry a $14 million cap hit on the Saints’ books due to various restructures over the years if he doesn’t agree to a new deal with New Orleans.
A day earlier, Davis told Adams that he was “coming back to the NFL” but was far from definitive that he’d be back with the Saints.
“How that plays out, we shall see,” Davis said, later adding, “I’m just trying to ride it out. I’m good with whatever happens.”
Davis has often said that he wants to finish his career with New Orleans, the team that helped his career take off after stints with the New York Jets and the Cleveland Browns. But negotiations, of course, can be complicated, and the two sides will have to agree on a number that works for both of them.
Davis and the Saints last agreed on a new contract on March 11, 2024, when they struck a two-year, $17.25 million extension that tacked on an extra year to Davis’ existing contract and increased his guaranteed money.
Free agency effectively begins this year on March 9, when the league’s negotiating window opens and upcoming free agents can speak with other teams.