Demario Davis is an NFL wonder. And wonder of wonders, he's back for yet another hitch with the team that drafted him in the third round of the 2012 draft and got him started on his league voyage, the New York Jets.

"I just want to start with how grateful I am to be back," Davis said in an "opening statement" to reporters after he signed a multiyear contract to return for his third tenure with the team. "How grateful I am to this organization, how grateful I am to the Johnson family for thinking so highly of me to bring me back. I know what it means to be part of the Jets family, I know what it means to wear these colors, to wear this brand."

Another reason for his return was the opportunity to work with head coach Aaron Glenn in helping the Jets culture make a great leap forward.

"Number one, we go where we feel like we're being sent to," Davis said of himself and his family "Number two, I believe in so much of what's being built here under the leadership of Aaron Glenn, a.k.a. AG. ... Anyone who would talk to you about being part of a great organization would tell you it's about the people. Great leaders can either bring in the right people, curate the right environment, or build the right people.

"I think Aaron does it all. You walk through the building and you can feel his leadership even before you have a conversation with him."

But that's more than playerspeak for his new leader. Davis, a student of the game, well knew of Glenn's exploits as a big-play cornerback for the Jets. And their paths crossed a few times in his career. When DD was first a Jet from 2012-15, AG was in scouting. When Davis left for Cleveland in '16. Glenn was there briefly as an assistant DBs coach. From 2018-20, they were both on the Saints, Glenn as DBs coach. And Davis was a rapt observer of Glenn's work as Detroit's DC from 2021-24.

"Once my agents let me know the Jets were an option, it was a no-brainer," he said as he entered free agency again. "I didn't even need a conversation with him to get on board, to see what he's building here with the culture. There's just a ton of excitement."

Davis knows his role at this stage of his career is not only to get it done as he's done for 14 seasons but to be a locker room leader and influence to help Glenn, the Jets and their fans get to where they yearn to go.

"Leaving here, I felt the mission personally was a little incomplete," he said, adding: "This is my third time around, but this time I come back very different, very purposeful, very clear on vision, on who I am. This wasn't a happenstance situation. This was a choice, knowing who I am and what I am called to be. I know what I'm stepping into this time around. I know what I'm bringing into a locker room. I know I play the game at an elite level. I know every year I'm trying to play better than the prior year."

Davis is the abovementioned wonder and an elite player because in a game "with a 100 percent injury rate" based on availability and production, he's done a whole lot of both for 14 consecutive seasons, and season No. 15 will be as a 37-year-old linebacker who's still got game doing it again for the Green & White

Since his second season with the Jets, in 2013, he's played in 211 of a possible 213 regular-season games, starting in 210 of them. For his career, he's played 13,423 pro defensive snaps and 997 more on special teams, giving him a mind-blowing average of 1,030 total snaps for every one of his 14 seasons. How he keeps going will be the subject of more stories on nyjets.com and on Jets media platforms.

Then when Davis is on the field, he goes forward and backward from his LB spot. He has 11 seasons of 100-plus tackles, nine in a row, and a career-high 143 last season for New Orleans. He needs a mere 49 more solo tackles to reach 1,000 for his career. Of his 951 takedowns, 116 have been TFLs. In coverage, he's got 61 pass defenses and four interceptions.

In short, Davis knows how to play NFL linebacker, and he knows how to appeal to Jets fans.

"I know what this city's expectations are, I know what the city desires," he said,. "I don't come in with any false hope, false promises. I'm just here to serve, to give every part of me and lead in a way that everyone who is watching will be proud of.

"And I would just say, man, it's great to be back and be a New York Jet. Everyone should be fired up for us ahead. Now let's get going, let's get to work."