4 players the Carolina Panthers shouldn’t have let get away

Carolina Panthers Player No. 1: Thomas Davis (LB)

There is no room for sentiment in the NFL. This was evident when the Carolina Panthers decided to let Thomas Davis find a new home following what can only be described as a phenomenal career with the franchise.

Davis was the beating heart of the defense for 13 seasons. It would have been 14 had it not been for a serious knee injury that forced the player to miss all of 2010.

His overall influence within the set-up was nothing short of extraordinary. Davis recorded 1,098 combined tackles, 789 solo tackles, 87 tackles for loss, 59 quarterback hits, 18 forced fumbles, and 13 interceptions during his time in a Carolina uniform.

This sort of elite production should have allowed the player an opportunity to finish his career where it all starter. But this is a cutthroat business and the Panthers let Davis sign a two-year, $10.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Chargers that included $5.5 million guaranteed.

As is the case most of the time when a long-serving player goes to a new environment, things didn’t go according to plan. Davis was released this summer and subsequently reunited with former head coach Ron Rivera at the Washington Redskins.

His lack of production for the Chargers probably makes the Panthers feel vindicated by the decision to part ways with a player who had given them everything. But in truth, Davis probably deserved better and we have said that before this offseason.