Patriots Lose Another Core Special Teams Player to Retirement

The New England Patriots have lost several of their core special teams players from 2023. Matthew Slater announced his retirement following a legendary career at the end of the regular season. Mack Wilson Sr. and Chris Board departed during NFL free agency. Today Cody Davis became the fourth member of the unit who will not be returning. He announced his retirement on social media.

Davis posted to both Instagram and X, thanking everyone involved in his journey. He declared that he is officially retiring from the NFL He stated in part, “I look forward to walking closer with God, being more present with my family, serving people in new ways, and finding my new career path.”

Cody Davis played college football for Texas Tech. He was a four-year starter at safety, amassing over 100 tackles in his senior season. However, Davis was not selected in the 2013 NFL Draft.

NFL Career

The St. Louis Rams signed Davis as an undrafted free agent. He found his niche on special teams immediately, appearing in 11 games as a rookie. He stayed with the Rams for five seasons, including their first two years back in Los Angeles.  Davis joined the Jacksonville Jaguars as a free agent in 2018. He played two seasons with the Jaguars, playing in all 32 games. He was Jacksonville’s special teams captain.

The Patriots brought Davis to New England for his final four seasons. He was exclusively a special teams player for the Patriots, playing only one defensive snaps in four seasons. He scored his lone NFL touchdown last season on a one-year fumble recovery. It helped New England beat Denver 26-23.

Another Patriots TD!

📺: #NEvsDEN on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/uY6Dg380OO pic.twitter.com/8gQknngT51

— NFL (@NFL) December 25, 2023

Cody Davis retires after 12 NFL seasons. He played in 146 NFL games, including the postseason. Davis finished with 118 tackles, three fumble recoveries, two interceptions, and one touchdown. The New England Patriots special teams unit is going to look a lot different in 2024.

Cody Davis’ Retirement Announcement