By Peyton Burkhalter

When Saints linebacker Demario Davis came to the organization in 2018, no one had any idea how much of an impact he was about to have on the field. After five AP All-Pro selections, two Pro Bowl nods and eight consecutive seasons of being named a team captain, all with New Orleans, everyone knows what Davis is capable of.

Davis has some of the most impressive numbers for a linebacker over his tenured career: 222 games played with 208 starts, 1,589 tackles (985 solo), one of three active players that have 1,500 or more tackles, 44.5 sacks, four interceptions, 64 pass breakups, six forced fumbles, nine fumble recoveries and 115 tackles for loss. His 222 regular season appearances as a linebacker rank 12th all-time in NFL record books, only missing one game due to injury (a second due to COVID-19 protocols) in the entirety of his career.

Eight is also a number that jumps out. Davis has been selected as a team captain for eight consecutive seasons, with seven of those selections coming after he turned 30 years old. His coaches have noticed Davis's incredible traits to not just lead from the front, but also perform at the highest level at 36.

"Demario is a true freak of nature," said New Orleans Defensive Coordinator Brandon Staley. "He tackles anything that comes into vision, his run stopping ability is as astounding as it has ever been and, not to mention, his leadership is second-to-none. To play for 14 years in this league is a special, special thing, and it's amazing what he can still produce on the field."

His longevity, leadership and level of play are all something to marvel at, and through 13 games of the 2025 season, the 36-year-old is proving why he is still the heart and soul of the middle of the Black and Gold defense.

Leading into today's divisional matchup against the Carolina Panthers, Davis is New Orleans' leading tackler with 119 stops (56 solo) and has also racked up five stops for loss, two pass breakups, a team-leading two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. The next closest Saint to Davis in tackles is Pete Werner, who has a little more than half of what Davis does at 69 stops on the season. With 119 stops, Davis now has nine consecutive seasons reaching the century mark in tackles, eight coming in a Saints uniform.

"Demario has just been outstanding for us," said Saints Head Coach Kellen Moore. "His play on the field has been absolutely stellar this season, and I am just so impressed with the way he has battled through every play. He looks like he could play into his 40s if he really wanted to. He is truly the ultimate professional."

Davis's constant effort and contributions that he pours into the city of New Orleans, paired with his outstanding play on the field, is why Davis is thought of like royalty to the Saints organization and in the Big Easy.

To put Demario's impact on the community into focus, the awards he has received for his efforts have been sizeable. Davis won the Bart Starr Award in 2021, which is voted on by all the other players in the league and presented to an NFL player who exemplifies being an outstanding person of character, integrity and leadership on and off the field. Furthermore, he has also been nominated by the Saints for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award three times, the National Football League's highest individual honor, in 2020, 2022 and this season, 2025. Being nominated three times by one organization is truly unheard of, yet, he and his fellow defensive teammate, Cam Jordan, has also been nominated three times by the Saints. He is also a finalist for the NFL's Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award.

"I am truly humbled to be the 2025 team winner of the Walter Payton Man of the Year award," said the 14-year NFL veteran. "Growing up in Mississippi, Walter Payton the football player was always someone I looked up to. As I got older, learning about the things he did in the community only increased my respect of him even more. Through my Devoted Dreamers Foundation, we are more committed than ever to developing youth to become dynamic young men and women who will lead this community into the future. New Orleans has been hugging my family and I since I got here, and I am so glad that they feel like we are hugging them back."

Davis's Devoted Dreamers Foundation is where he has funneled and executed most of his charitable works and donations. Working with his wife, Tamela, they started the foundation in 2013 to equip the next generation of leaders to rise with purpose — spiritually grounded, mentally strong, and physically prepared to impact the world. Their mission revolves around empowering youth, instilling hope, and nurturing future leaders who will shape a brighter world. Guided by faith and passion, they strive to inspire young lives, demonstrating that with determination and support, any dream can be realized.

Just in 2025 alone, he has launched a leadership development program with The 18th Ward, a local nonprofit that builds community through high-quality, affordable sports programming and workforce development for youth and families from every neighborhood in New Orleans. Davis, his family, and Devoted Dreamers volunteers collaborated with The 18th Ward young leaders, ages 16-25, to entrust and enlist them to plan a service project, a food and hygiene product drive to benefit the local non-profit Clover to distribute, which works to help those in need in the New Orleans community.

"I am genuinely so proud of everyone involved who made this a possibility," said Davis after the non-perishable food and hygiene item drive. "We were able to unite the community with great food and company, while also giving back at the same time. Our partnership with The 18th Ward is something my wife and I are truly proud of, and we want to continue to grow these men and women into people they want to be. We are just so grateful to give back to the place that has given my family and I so much."

Davis, his family and foundation have not stopped there, though, with giving back to the community and empowering the youth. They have hosted "Dining for Dreams" to raise money for the foundation to pour back into the New Orleans area and "Dinner with the Davises" to promote the power of family dining, a lost tradition they want to reignite.

"New Orleans has been absolutely incredible to us ever since we got here," said the former Arkansas State standout. "The people, culture and just everything about this city that makes it so special is why we love giving back to this city so much. My family and I couldn't be happier here, giving back to the wonderful people of New Orleans that have truly touched our lives in a really special way. We're genuinely so blessed to be able to provide services for these kids and families that need it, and it is something we want to do for a long, long time."

Davis's story in New Orleans is one of uncommon consistency; not just in tackles and seasons played, but in the way he chooses to show up for the people around him. On a franchise defined by resilience and community pride, he has become a standard-bearer for both, proving that greatness in the NFL can be measured just as much by impact off the field as it is by production on Sundays. As his career continues, Davis's legacy will endure in the young leaders he has empowered, the families he has supported and the city that now considers him one of its own.