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A familiar face might be returning to the AFC East.
Field Yates of ESPN shared on social media that the Buffalo Bills hosted former New York Jets wideout Corey Davis for a workout this week. Davis retired from the game of football in August of 2023 while he was still on the Jets roster.
Yates added, “The former 5th overall pick in draft unretired after a year away and is now seeking a return to the league.”
Jets Strange Move This Offseason Could Bite Them in the Butt
Davis retired in 2023 with one year remaining on his contract with the Jets. When he decided to unretire this offseason, his rights belonged to the Jets.
Once he officially applied for reinstatement to the NFL, the green and white released Davis from the reserve/retired list. That allowed Davis to explore other options in free agency. If the Jets would have kept Davis on the reserve/retired list his only option would have been to suit up for the team or get traded to another squad.
Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic explained in March that the Jets “granting” Davis his release isn’t something they necessarily had to do because they still held his rights. They did it out of the goodness of their hearts.
Now there’s a chance he could join a division rival that you’d have to see twice a year during the 2024 regular season.
There have been examples in the past of players retiring with years still left on their contracts and deciding to return at a later date. For example, future Pro Football Hall of Famer Rob Gronkowski hung up his cleats following the 2018 season. He returned in 2020 and wanted to reunite with his former teammate Tom Brady when he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
However, the New England Patriots still held his rights. So the only way he could follow through on his wishes is if Tampa Bay traded for him and that’s exactly what happened.
New England flipped Gronk and a seventh-round draft choice in exchange for a fourth-rounder.
If Davis joins the Bills, the Jets will receive zip-and-pip for releasing his rights earlier this offseason.
What the Heck Happened Between Davis and the Jets?!
Rich Cimini of ESPN shared in March that the Jets “would welcome him back but the sense is that he will explore the market and prefers a team closer to his home in Nashville, Tennessee.”
Technically speaking New Era Field, where the Bills play is slightly closer to his home in Nashville than MetLife Stadium, where the Jets play.
Buffalo to Nashville is separated by 698 miles or a 10-hour and 42-minute drive. While New York/New Jersey to Nashville is separated by 883 miles or a 13-hour and 26-minute drive.
However, either distance can’t be considered close to his home.
So what gives?
Head coach Robert Saleh said at the Annual League Meeting, “Our door is always going to be open for” Davis if he wants to return. New York needed wide receiver depth this offseason.
In theory, a reunion made plenty of sense. The Jets were open to bringing him back. Davis wanted to return to football after some time away.
Despite that, it appears Davis plans on playing for someone else in 2024 not named the Jets. A very bizarre turn of events in the Jets-Davis saga.
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