The Los Angeles Chargers agreed to terms on a two-year contract with 2014 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year and three-time Pro Bowler LB Thomas Davis, the organization announced on Wednesday.
Davis spent his entire career with the Carolina Panthers, an organization that selected him in the first round (14th overall) of the 2005 draft. The Georgia native has registered 1,077 total tackles, 28 sacks, 18 forced fumbles and 13 interceptions in his 176 career games played. His 1,077 tackles are good for No. 2 among active NFL players, trailing only Antoine Bethea's 1,222.
Thomas garnered first-team All-Pro accolades from the Associated Press and was selected to his first Pro Bowl for his performance in the 2015 season when he totaled 105 tackles, 5.5 sacks, forced four fumbles and picked off four passes to help lead Carolina to an appearance in Super Bowl 50. He also earned Pro Bowl honors in 2016 and 2017. Davis played in 12 games in 2018, amassing 79 tackles and six passes defensed.
Davis is a four-time nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award and was a finalist in 2013 before being named the 2014 Walter Payton Man of the Year.
With his wife, Kelly, Davis founded the Thomas Davis Defending Dreams Foundation (TDDDF), which encourages underprivileged youth to develop essential life and social skills to make them leaders of tomorrow through the values of education, leadership and volunteerism. The foundation developed the Thomas Davis Leadership Academy to support and build an educational foundation for youth to develop skills to become productive, self-fulfilled and achievement-oriented young adults and community leaders.
The eight-time team captain hosts annual programs through his foundation, including Thanksgiving meals for members of women's shelters as well as Christmas gift and back-to-school supply giveaways to underprivileged youth. In addition to the foundation, Thomas and Kelly continually give back to the community. In June 2013, the couple funded or organized the construction of the first-ever playground in Davis' hometown of Shellman, Ga., which has a population of about 1,000 people.
