Demario Davis has enjoyment of a rookie as he begins third stint with Jets

Demario Davis has been in this spot before.Plenty of times.

This season opener Sunday in Nashville against the Titans will mark his 15th.But when asked Thursday about his favorite opening day and memories, Davis’ answer was succinct.

Text with Brian Costello all season as he brings Sports+ subscribers the latest Jets intel from on the field and off.“Hopefully, this one will be the best one,” he said.

“Any opening day where you get the victory is worth looking forward to.”When the Jets take the field for their first defensive drive Sunday, Davis, a constant for any team he has played for, will officially return to his spot at linebacker for Gang Green.A common storyline of the offseason — the 37-year-old returning for his third stint and sixth season with the Jets — will become a reality.And Davis, just seasons removed from consecutive Pro Bowl appearances in 2022 and ’23 with the Saints, will have a chance to keep defying Father Time, to write another chapter instead of nostalgically reflecting on the past.“I think I still have the enjoyment of a rookie,” Davis said.

“My excitement to come into work each and every day, to be able to live out my dream, I never take a moment, a day that I walk into this moment for granted, a day that I step out onto that field for granted.“But I am the accumulation of 15 years of football, being around a lot of great vets, playing in a lot of games, been in a lot of situations, so just being able to use all that wisdom and accumulation and still find ways to get better and put that on display when it matters most is what I’m excited to do.”Before a hamstring injury in 2024, Davis had missed just one other game — a December 2021 contest for the Saints while on the reserve/COVID-19 list — since getting his first chance with the Jets in 2012.Even in 2025, while 36 years old and in his eighth season with New Orleans, Davis led the Saints with a career-high 143 tackles.“I’ve heard about what kind ...