Patriots Veteran Retiring Ahead of 2024 Season
By Ryan Bunton
When the new NFL kickoff rules take effect this upcoming season, the New England Patriots will do so without veteran Cody Davis, a steady presence on New England's special teams units over the last four seasons.
Patriots special teamer Cody Davis, who came back from a torn ACL to play in 11 games last season, is retiring.
— Zack Cox (@zm_cox) March 28, 2024
NE's kicking-game units will look very different this year. Eight of their top 11 leaders in ST snaps played are no longer with the team. https://t.co/zCkDgeuFye
Davis carved out an impressive 11-year NFL career as a specialist on special teams, but was a free agent after New England allowed his contract to expire. Davis' $1.25 million cap hit in 2023 ranked within the top 20 on the team, ahead of names such as Ja'Whaun Bentley, Jabrill Peppers, Jahlani Tavai, Mike Gesicki and Trent Brown. A classic Bill Belichick move.
With his 35th birthday approaching and a season removed from his torn ACL, Davis will be hanging up the cleats.
As Cox notes, the Patriots' kicking game will have some new faces on the unit in 2024, with eight of the top 11 leaders in 2023 special teams snaps moving on.
With the implementation of the new hybrid kickoff rules, it will be interesting to see how NFL coaches approach assembling the personnel units for the revamped play. New England hired a new special teams coordinator this offseason in Jeremy Springer.
With free agency cooling down, New England needs to ace their remaining moves to improve their odds for the 2024 season. According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Patriots are +1700 underdogs to win the AFC East. If you want to take lock-in of these odds, head over to FanDuel Sportsbook and claim your sign-up bonus.
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