Carlton Davis says he’s open to signing a long-term contract with the Detroit Lions. For now, he’ll settle for a restructure that saves his new team $4.5 million in cap space for the upcoming season.
Davis has agreed to convert $6 million of his $14 million salary into a signing bonus. He’ll get that money immediately, while the cap hit is spread out over the life of the deal. Davis had been entering a contract season, but Detroit packed on three void years to spread out the cap hit through 2027In the end, Davis’ cap charge has been lowered from $14.35 million to $9.85 million for the upcoming season, while the $4.5 million in savings will be automatically triggered when the contract voids next year. That gives Detroit more financial flexibility for this season, while pushing some money into a year where the salary cap is expected to grow once again.
Davis was acquired last week in a trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with sixth-round picks in each of the next two drafts. Detroit gave up a third-round pick to complete the deal.
Davis is expected to start next season, and could unseat the struggling Cam Sutton as CB1 in Detroit.
“Man, you about to get a lock-down corner,” Davis said. “You about to have one side (of the field) just, like, unavailable. That’s what I do. I’m here to take the No. 1 receiver on these teams. I’m here to deny the ball, I’m here to take the ball away. And you guys did have some good (defense) last year. Looking forward to getting to know these guys, meshing with these guys, and hoping to lead them to a Super Bowl for sure.”
The Lions signed another cornerback in free agency, Amik Robertson, while re-signing Emmanuel Moseley. But Robertson was the only cornerback to get a multi-year deal, leaving the Lions with a lot of flexibility to still draft a long-term cornerback if they want.
Davis has also told Detroit he’s interested in signing a long-term extension, although the restructure suggests that’s not happening anytime soon.
