Carlton Davis's approach to free agency likely to be influenced by his painful 2024 season
Carlton Davis recently on X posted some strong statements regarding his upcoming free agency period. See the recent article by Jeff Risdon for more details.
I won't make the same mistake twice . If you want your defense upgraded yall know who to pay .Turn on the Tape !
— C-Murda ™ (@Carlton_Lowkey) March 5, 2025
Having signed just a 1-year deal with the Lions last offseason, I suspect he wants a longer-term commitment along with the increased guaranteed money that would bring.
This desire is understandable for most players, but especially so when you look at the physical pounding his body took last year. Multiple times throughout the season, he suffered injuries to various body parts requiring help to get off the field.
Here are the injuries that we know about publicly along with the suspected diagnoses and games missed. As with all NFL players, plenty of injuries also go hidden and unreported.
This was likely a mild strain and there was no recurrence of the hamstring during the year.
Landing hard on his own elbow caused his wind to be knocked out. There was some concern of a mild rib injury also.
Carlton Davis video. Reportedly is fine so likely just wind. pic.twitter.com/cViwrIGAem
— Jimmy Liao MD | Detroit Lions Morning Rounds (@JimmyLiaoMD) September 9, 2024
It's unclear what happened here, but he was down for a bit before finishing the game.
Carlton Davis injury video-Unclear but appears to have injured L shoulder area even though he took the hard hit to R shoulder-Hope just mild strain-Worst case would be pec tear-Finished game pic.twitter.com/YPfgLagXoO
— Jimmy Liao MD | Detroit Lions Morning Rounds (@JimmyLiaoMD) October 1, 2024
This freak incident was scary and could have been a lot worse. He somehow managed to avoid any laceration or concussion.
Carlton Davis cleat-to-head video-Head crunched then takes wicked shot to bare head-Did not return. Presumably passed concussion eval as he was hanging out on sideline. Prob more scared than injured.-Fortunate no laceration or eye damage-I expect him to be fine for next game pic.twitter.com/nVNVSVWUvJ
— Jimmy Liao MD | Detroit Lions Morning Rounds (@JimmyLiaoMD) October 14, 2024
No clear diagnosis here but a stinger or shoulder injury are possible. He was able to finish the game.
Carlton Davis R arm/shoulder injury video-Stinger possible with bent neck. Flexing fingers after could be tingling/numbness-Shoulder contusion or joint injury also possible-Returned to game-Small chance of dreaded pec tear. Hope no bad news in next day pic.twitter.com/ACxA2sElW3
— Jimmy Liao MD | Detroit Lions Morning Rounds (@JimmyLiaoMD) November 4, 2024
Credit to Davis for playing through his fracture for which he wore a protective splint for weeks. Here is video of him wearing the splint four weeks after the injury.
👐 🏈 @Carlton_Lowkey #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/4jsRfsx4iJ
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) December 15, 2024
No official diagnosis here, but fortunately, it was not too serious.
Carlton Davis L knee injury video-Nothing obvious. Passed ACL exam. Unlikely sig injury to any knee ligament.-Possible tendon/muscle strain at posterior knee. -Unlikely meniscus but await MRI result. pic.twitter.com/bFFv5U1xJV
— Jimmy Liao MD | Detroit Lions Morning Rounds (@JimmyLiaoMD) November 25, 2024
Multiple hits to the jaw during this game may have culminated in the fracture.
Carlton Davis jaw injury video-Came out 2x, maybe related-In 1st qtr, blow to L head. Grabs facemask after. Returned after 1 play.-In 2nd qtr, presumably hits L head on tackle. Trainers looking at L jaw. Did not return. pic.twitter.com/GDcwYFURVv
— Jimmy Liao MD | Detroit Lions Morning Rounds (@JimmyLiaoMD) December 16, 2024
In total, Davis missed only five full games out of 18, but he played through a lot of trauma. Over the season, he hurt at least three of his four limbs to go along with his torso and head. If you had to circle the body parts he had injured last year, you could save some ink by just putting one circle around his whole body.
Tackling was an especially dangerous activity for him as it appeared to cause injuries to both shoulders and a jaw fracture. It would be understandable if Davis was a more reluctant tackler in the future.
Given the injuries Davis endured throughout the year, he is likely looking for more of a commitment from the team going forward. If the Lions are not willing to give him the security and reward of a long-term deal, then Davis may not be willing to put his 28-year-old body on the line for them again.
His recent post on X suggests that there may be initial reluctance on the Lions part to give him the long-term deal he wants.
This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Lions free agency: Carlton Davis injuries shape his approach
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