But when asked Thursday about his favorite opening day and memories, Davis\u2019 answer was succinct.<\/p>\n
\u201cHopefully, this one will be the best one,\u201d he said. \u201cAny opening day where you get the victory is worth looking forward to.\u201d<\/p>\n
When the Jets take the field for their first defensive drive Sunday, Davis, a constant for any team he has played for, will officially return to his spot at linebacker for Gang Green.<\/p>\n
A common storyline of the offseason \u2014 the 37-year-old returning for his third stint and sixth season with the Jets \u2014 will become a reality. <\/p>\n
And Davis, just seasons removed from consecutive Pro Bowl appearances in 2022 and \u201923 with the Saints, will have a chance to keep defying Father Time, to write another chapter instead of nostalgically reflecting on the past.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I still have the enjoyment of a rookie,\u201d Davis said. \u201cMy excitement to come into work each and every day, to be able to live out my dream, I never take a moment, a day that I walk into this moment for granted, a day that I step out onto that field for granted.<\/p>\n
![\"Linebacker](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/DeMario-Davis-2.jpg\")
Linebacker Demario Davis jogs off the field after the Jets\u2019 preseason loss to the Buccaneers on Aug. 14, 2026 at MetLife Stadium. Bill Kostroun for New York Post<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I am the accumulation of 15 years of football, being around a lot of great vets, playing in a lot of games, been in a lot of situations, so just being able to use all that wisdom and accumulation and still find ways to get better and put that on display when it matters most is what I\u2019m excited to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before a hamstring injury in 2024, Davis had missed just one other game \u2014 a December 2021 contest for the Saints while on the reserve\/COVID-19 list \u2014 since getting his first chance with the Jets in 2012.<\/p>\n
Even in 2025, while 36 years old and in his eighth season with New Orleans, Davis led the Saints with a career-high 143 tackles.<\/p>\n
![\"Jets](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Demario-Davis.jpg\")
Jets veteran linebacker Demario Davis talks to reporters on Sept. 10, 2026 in Florham Park, N.J. Bill Kostroun for New York Post<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve heard about what kind of guy he was,\u201d defensive coordinator Brian Duker said of Davis. \u201cI just hadn\u2019t experienced it. \u2026 He lived up to his reputation, and I thought he was going to be great \u2014 and he\u2019s been great.\u201d<\/p>\n
This time with the Jets, he\u2019s technically one of the newcomers in a defense filled with them. <\/p>\n
He said Thursday that they\u2019ve established chemistry, but the Titans will challenge them Sunday. <\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGo behind the scenes with Big Blue\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for Inside the Giants by Paul Schwartz, a weekly Sports+ exclusive.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\tThank you\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Second-year quarterback Cam Ward, Davis said, impressed him during a Saints-Titans game last year because of his composure and ability to extend plays.<\/p>\n
That layer \u2014 of whether Davis can help the Jets contain the Titans \u2014 will serve as the main event. <\/p>\n
But at the macro level of this Gang Green season, and anything that transpires defensively Sunday, will be the return of Davis off one of the best statistical seasons of his career with the potential for more.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been extremely blessed to play this game as long as I have and have the type of career that I\u2019ve had and be able to have the durability that I\u2019ve been able to have,\u201d Davis said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Demario Davis has been in this spot before. Plenty of times. This season opener Sunday in Nashville against…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":997565,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2051],"tags":[6838,7,226,1917,255,2321,2097,6,9],"class_list":["post-997564","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-jets","tag-demario-davis","tag-football","tag-jets","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-jets","tag-newyork","tag-newyorkjets","tag-nfl","tag-sports"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/117250413747028110","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/997564","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=997564"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/997564\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/997565"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=997564"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=997564"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=997564"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}