One of Mississippi’s favorite players is leaving one of Mississippi’s favorite teams.
Brandon native Demario Davis is leaving the New Orleans Saints after eight seasons in the Big Easy. Per multiple reports, Davis is returning for a third stint with the New York Jets – the team he was drafted by in 2012 and played for until 2015 and then again in 2017. His contract is expected to be a two-year deal worth $22 million with $15 million fully guaranteed.
Davis, who fielded for the Brandon Bulldogs in high school, played his collegiate years at Arkansas State. He later became a two-time Pro Bowler (2022-23) and four-time All-Pro selection (2019-23) with New Orleans. Career stats include over 1,500 tackles, 45 sacks, nine fumble recoveries, and four interceptions with most of his season highs coming as a Saint.
During the 2025-26 season, he started every game and ended the year with 143 tackles, a half-sack, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery.
While Davis’ signing won’t be official until Wednesday afternoon when free agency opens with the start of the league year, the legal negotiations window opened Monday. The Saints, although losing one of their most consistent defensive players, have made moves on the other side of the ball with the expected signings of running back Travis Etienne Jr. and guard David Edwards.