The Detroit Lions have a few free agents that I think everyone wants them to make sure they keep. One of those guys is cornerback Carlton Davis.
The Lions traded a third-round pick for Davis last March and he made sure that pick did not feel wasted. Davis had one hell of a season in Detroit. He allowed a reception percentage of just 59.7 and had two picks and six pass breakups.
Sadly the Lions lost him before the playoffs with a broken jaw and then Amik Robertson stepped up and played out of his mind down the stretch. It really kind of changed the outlook on what the Lions could do with Davis.
We projected in November that Davis could be looking to pick up a three-year deal worth $52 million with $35 million of that being guaranteed. If the Lions extended Robertson instead they could wind up saving some cash.
If they chose to bring Davis back, which is something that should totally be on the table, they might find themselves in a bit of a bidding war because there is an AFC team that is expected to be quite interested according to ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler.
“Some teams have Davis as the No. 2 corner in the class. Watch for Jacksonville to potentially make a move here. The Jaguars likely won’t be huge spenders in free agency, but they want to fortify their secondary.”
The Jaguars probably won’t be the only team interested, but they might be the team that’s willing to drive up the price in order to make sure they get him. We have seen the Jaguars show that they aren’t afraid to spend a lot of money in the past.
It’s all the more reason why the Lions could look at the cost and feel that they could spend the extra money they save from not bringing Davis back on a different position.
We’re going to see in due time. Right now it feels like kind of a good problem to have. If you keep Davis then you have a great group of corners. If you lose Davis then you still have a pretty good group of corners.