Third time is the charm.
The New York Jets have reunited with New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis. NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero posted on social media that this is a two-year, $22 million contract with $15 million of that fully guaranteed.
This will be the third stint that Davis has had with the Jets during his remarkable NFL career.
This will Year 15 for Davis, who just turned 37. Tommy Condon of @CAA_Football negotiated the deal.
Davis signed a two-year, $22 million deal with the Jets. That $11 million annual salary places him no. 9 among the highest-paid linebackers in the NFL, per Over The Cap. For some context, that ranking is set to change as we are in the middle of free agency and new deals are being added.
A Beautiful Coming Home Story
Davis, 37, is a five-time All-Pro and a former two-time Pro Bowler. He has become one of the best linebackers in football.
However, when he first came into the league as a 23-year-old, Davis was just a third-round pick out of Arkansas State.
Davis spent his entire four-year rookie contract with the Jets. He then left in free agency to join the Cleveland Browns. A year later, he was traded back to the Jets in a rare player-for-player swap. After a reunion tour in 2017, Davis left once again, but this time for the foreseeable future.
Davis spent the next eight years of his career with the Saints. This offseason, the veteran became an unrestricted free agent.
Davis’ age, 37, will make a lot of people look at him sideways. However, last season he finished with 143 total tackles, which was a career high.
Top Social Media Reactions to Davis Reuniting With the Jets in 2026
“BREAKING: The Jets wanted leadership. They’re getting it. Demario Davis is headed back to New York,” NFL Insider Connor Hughes of SNY wrote.
Demario Davis is headed back to New York.
“Spend on defense and draft offense>>. Jets defense should be vastly improved in 2026. [I] can’t emphasize enough how much of a win bringing back Demario Davis is,” NFL analyst Will Parkinson wrote.
Jets defense should be vastly improved in 2026
Can’t emphasize enough how much of a win bringing back Demario Davis is
“Davis is a big upgrade in the leadership department. Still good versus the run. At 37, not what he was in pass coverage,” ESPN’s Rich Cimini said.
A Targeted Approach by the Jets This Offseason
Last year, head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey wanted a youth movement. There were jokes written on social media that anyone over the age of 30 was in danger of being cut or traded by the Jets.
This year, the Jets called an audible at the line of scrimmage. Instead of avoiding veterans, the Jets are embracing and pursuing them.
“I’m excited about the opportunity to add some veteran players to this team. We have one of the younger rosters in the NFL right now. So I really believe we are going to be able to add some really good veteran players in this free agency class that can inject some veteran experience and leadership onto this young team,” Mougey told Jets senior reporter Eric Allen at the 2026 NFL Combine.
The Jets wanted to make adding veterans a priority, and they did on the first day of the NFL’s legal tampering period.
Jets Reunite With Fan-Favorite on $22 Million Deal in Free Agency