Sep 7, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) is sacked by New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis (56) during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Demario Davis Breaks Silence on Saints Exit

Originally posted on New Orleans Saints on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Mar 10, 2026 8:45 AM ET

The New Orleans Saints reportedly lost a franchise pillar on Monday.

It was a wild day full of reported deals all over the place. For New Orleans, it struck multiple times, including reportedly agreeing to terms on deals with running back Travis Etienne Jr. and guard David Edwards. One thing that seemingly got lost in the shuffle was the fact that New Orleans reportedly lost Demario Davis to the New York Jets in free agency. Now, it's not as if it wasn't talked about. Of course it was. But with all of the other moves of the day, the reported loss didn't get talked about as much as it should.

Losing Davis is tough. He was a five-time All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowler in eight seasons with the franchise. He actually set a new career high with 143 total tackles in 2025 as well. Even more importantly than his play on the field, Davis was a leader in the locker room and a pillar in the community. He'll be missed on the field, for sure. You can replace statistics, though. But you can't replace the person. It's tough to see Davis go, but he did have a brief message for Saints fans, per Rod Walker of The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate.

The former Saints star speaks

"Though changing locker rooms, NOLA will always be home and our off the field work is far from finished there," Davis said to Walker.

Demario Davis will probably have more to say later, but here is something he told me today via text.

“Though changing locker rooms, Nola will always be home and our off the field work is far from finished there.”
— Rod Walker (@RodWalkerNola) March 10, 2026

Davis joined the Saints ahead of the 2018 campaign and spent the last eight seasons in New Orleans. At this point in his career, he's still among the league's most elite linebackers. He finished the 2025 season with an 81.4 Pro Football Focus grade, good for No. 6 among 88 qualifying linebackers.

The Jets are getting a player who can anchor their defense and propel their young guys forward. There are some massive shoes to fill in New Orleans now. Fortunately, there is a lot of time left in the offseason to do so. But it's certainly not going to be an easy task. It will get even more difficult if fellow veteran Cameron Jordan walks as well.

This article first appeared on New Orleans Saints on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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