Lions are already getting cooked over trading for Carlton Davis III

It wasn't an offseason full of big moves for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the front office still made some waves. While the main objective was re-signing as many key players as possible, the Bucs traded away a starter to both free up some cap space and give everyone a fresh start.

Carlton Davis III was traded to the Detroit Lions back in March, a move that feels like a long time coming even if it was a bummer way for things to end. Davis was an original Gravedigger and helped the Bucs win a Super Bowl just a handful of years ago.

Things have been tough since then, though.

Davis has missed 16 games over the last three seasons with various injuries and last year saw him get cooked by opposing offenses more often than anyone would have liked. It seemed whenever a big play was given up, Davis was on the wrong side of it which is exactly the opposite of what a top cornerback should do.

A combination of all that, plus the Bucs needing to find ways to free up cap space and add younger talent, led to a trade. We'll see how things end up going but it has already started to age poorly for the Lions.

Carlton Davis III already listed as Lions' most overpriced player

Bleacher Report listed out every team's most overpriced player, and Carlton Davis III was the pick for Detroit. Of course, there's a bit of a caveat as the Bucs are on the hook for a $14.1 million dead-cap charge after trading Davis last month which means they share some of the brunt here.

That being said, the fact that Davis is already on this list for the Lions and he has barely even gotten settled in should make Bucs fans breathe a little easier about the whole ordeal.

Davis was on the final year of a $44 million contract that he hadn't really lived up to, which is why the Lions instantly reshuffled his deal to make it easier to stomach. Detroit converted $6 million of his $14 million base salary for 2024 into a signing bonus and added three void years to the end of his contract, which significantly lowered his cap hit on their books.

He's completely off the Bucs' books, outside of that dead cap charge, which goes to show just how far out of favor he'd fallen. It's a shame since we've seen Davis at his best and know what he's capable of which is something he hopefully gets back to in Detroit.

The struggles he's had are pretty easy to see, though. For as well constructed as Detroit's roster is, the idea that Davis is already the most overpriced player on the team says a lot.

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