Patriots special teamer Cody Davis announces retirement from NFL after 11 seasons

FOXBORO -- The Patriots have lost another veteran player off their special teams unit. Cody Davis announced his retirement from the NFL on Thursday. 

Davis steps away after 11 seasons in the league, including the last four with New England. He served as the Patriots' primary punt protector, but also played on coverage and return units for New England. 

The 34-year-old announced his retirement with a lengthy post on X (the social media platform formally known as Twitter).

"I am officially retiring from the NFL," Davis wrote. "I am eternally thankful for this football journey and what it has meant to me and my family. For 22 years football has been what I have done, but it is not who I am."

Davis played just one defensive snap over his four seasons with the Patriots, but logged 905 snaps on special teams. He played over 3,000 special teams snaps in his career, which began with the St. Louis Rams in 2013 after Davis went undrafted out of Texas Tech. He spent five seasons with the Rams and then two with the Jacksonville Jaguars before signing with the Patriots in 2020. 

Davis racked up 118 tackles, a pair of fumble recoveries, and two interceptions over his career. He scored the only touchdown of his career last season with the Patriots, returning a fumbled kickoff return in New England's Christmas Eve win over the Broncos in Denver. 

The New England special teams unit also lost longtime captain Matthew Slater to retirement this offseason, which leaves third-year special teamer Brenden Schooler to lead the unit in 2024.