Thomas Davis, Panthers Agree on 1-Year Contract Extension

The Carolina Panthers announced Tuesday that they and star linebacker Thomas Davis agreed to a one-year contract extension through the 2018 season.

Jourdan Rodrigue of the Charlotte Observer reported the extension is worth $6.75 million.

Davis, 34, has remained effective even in his later years, recording at least 100 tackles in five straight seasons. In 2016, he registered 106 tackles, 2.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble and three interceptions. 

But Davis remained without a contract extension this offseason until after former general manager Dave Gettleman was fired. And Bill Voth of Panthers.com suspected that was perhaps one of the reasons owner Jerry Richardson finally decided to part ways with his general manager: 

"Odds are Gettleman further alienated key veterans by how he handled extension requests this summer from Greg Olsen and Davis. It’s not hard to imagine that Gettleman’s blunt approach was irksome to Richardson, especially if it involved Davis. No player has exemplified what he wants his franchise to represent more than 13-year veteran. So when Gettleman and Davis were unable to get on the same page about how and when to get a deal done, Gettleman ran out of rope."

Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk added: 

"Richardson has always played favorites. He signed off on a number of contract extensions for players with dubious medical situations (Jake Delhomme, Dan Morgan) because he liked the players involved. He was willing to let Gettleman make some hard calls on others (Jordan Gross, Steve Smith), because he felt compelled to in the wake of overspending to keep a core together previously."

It's rare in the NFL that a contract dispute between an aging, albeit productive, linebacker and a general manager plays a major factor in a general manager's dismissal. But there would appear to be enough clues to suggest that was the case in Carolina this offseason, especially given Davis' new contract.

While it's fair to expect that Davis' level of play will eventually fall off, he's also an important leader for a team with playoff aspirations in the coming years, and that clearly gave him value to the organization. He's expected to pair with superstar Luke Kuechly and Shaq Thompson to give the Panthers a formidable trio at linebacker this season.