Former Gamecocks running back Mike Davis announces NFL retirement

Former South Carolina Gamecocks running back Mike Davis announced his official retirement from the NFL on Monday, which is also his 31st birthday. Davis, who didn’t play during the 2023 season, was last with the Baltimore Ravens. In his nine playing years, he played for six different teams.

“As I turn 31 today, I sit back and look on my NFL career and how thankful I am to be a part of a brotherhood,” Davis tweeted on Monday afternoon. “This game has allowed me to make a lot of friends and memories. I’m grateful for every organization in NFL. With that being said I’m retiring!”

Davis’ last deal with the Ravens was for one year, $1.27 million. He had eight carries for 18 yards in 2022. It was his second-least productive season and came after two of the best years of his career. With the Carolina Panthers in 2020, he had 165 carries while racking up 642 yards and six touchdowns. He then joined the Atlanta Falcons and rushed for 503 yards on 128 carries with three touchdowns in 2021.

As I turn 31 today, I sit back and look on my NFL career and how thankful I am to be apart of a brotherhood. This game has allowed me to make a lot of friends and memories. I’m grateful for every organization in NFL. With that being said I’m retiring! ✌🏾

— IG MikeDavisRB (@MikeDavisRB) February 19, 2024

Davis ends his NFL career with 558 carries, 2,052 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns. He also posted 171 receptions with 1,066 receiving yards and an additional four touchdowns.

The San Francisco 49ers drafted Davis out of South Carolina with a fourth-round draft pick in 2015. He played six games as a rookie but didn’t score his first touchdown until his second season. The 49ers waived him in 2017, leaving him to sign with the Seattle Seahawks. He stayed in Seattle for two seasons, tallying 112 carries and 514 yards with four touchdowns in 2018.

Mike Davis makes retirement official

Davis signed the biggest deal of his career with the Chicago Bears for the 2019 season. He inked for two years and $6 million. They waived him in the same year, then he joined the Panthers. Once he left Carolina, the Falcons signed him to a two-year deal for $5.5 million.

A Georgia native, Mike Davis played his high school football at Stephenson High School in Stone Mountain. He committed to South Carolina where he took over as the team’s starting running back, following Marcus Lattimore. He earned second-team All-SEC honors after rushing for 1,183 yards with 11 touchdowns in 2013. Davis opted to forgo his senior season to enter the NFL Draft. He clocked a 4.52-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine before the 49ers scooped him up in the fourth round.