One in a series of articles that will also appear in the New York Jets 2026 Yearbook, which will be published this summer.
The Jets' young and promising linebacker corps received an injection of veteran leadership with the return of Demario Davis in free agency this offseason.
This will be Davis's third stint with the Jets. The 15th-year veteran was drafted by the Green & White in the third round of the 2012 draft, spent four years with New York, signed with the Browns in 2016 and returned in 2017.
"Leaving a few years ago, I felt the mission personally here was a little incomplete," Davis said. "This is my third time around, but this time I come back very different, very purposeful, very clear on vision, on who I am."
Davis departed again from the Jets in 2018 and signed with New Orleans, where he spent the past eight seasons and earned two Pro Bowl nods and All-Pro recognition five times, including as a first-teamer in 2019.
"This wasn't a happenstance situation," Davis said about his return to the Jets. "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 will play alongside veterans Jamien Sherwood, Marcelino McCrary-Ball and promising second-year backer Kiko Mauigoa. A big change will be the departure of Quincy Williams, a Jet the past five seasons, in free agency.
Sherwood, in his second season as a starter since he was drafted in 2021, is the only player in the NFL to record 150-plus tackles in each of the last two seasons. He was named team MVP in 2024 and finished fourth among all defenders in total snaps played in 2025.
Mauigoa appeared in 12 games (eight starts) as a rookie and recorded 45 tackles. McCrary-Ball, a special teams captain last fall, battled injuries in appearing in just 5 games. Mykal Walker played in 14 games (five starts), and he and Kobe King were special teams mainstays.
"Demario's reputation precedes him so much that I am excited to have him here as well as all the guys," defensive coordinator Brian Duker said. "We are going to be very multiple and be sure to get the best players out there."
