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Vontae Ottis Davis (May 27, 1988 – April 1, 2024) was an American professional football cornerback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. He played college football for the Illinois Fighting Illini and was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft. Davis also played for the Indianapolis Colts and Buffalo Bills. He made two in his career.
Davis abruptly retired from the NFL in the middle of the Bills' second game of the 2018 season, removing himself from the game at halftime.
In track and field, Davis was one of the district's top sprinters. As a senior in 2006, he recorded personal-best times of 10.97 seconds in the 100-meter dash and 22.78 seconds in the 200-meter dash at the DCIAA East/West Championships, placing first in both events.
Considered a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, Davis was ranked as the No. 33 cornerback prospect in the nation.
On July 31, 2009, the Dolphins signed Davis to a five-year, $10.25 million contract that includes $7.43 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $500,000.
Throughout training camp, Davis competed for a job as a starting cornerback against Eric Green and Sean Smith. Head coach Tony Sparano named Davis the fourth cornerback on the Dolphins' depth chart to begin the regular season, behind Will Allen, Sean Smith and Nathan Jones.
Davis made his professional regular-season debut in the Miami Dolphins' season-opener at the Atlanta Falcons and made a solo tackle during their 19–7 loss. Davis recorded his first career regular-season tackle on wide receiver Michael Jenkins for a three-yard loss in the fourth quarter. Davis surpassed Nathan Jones on the depth chart after the Miami Dolphins' Week 3 loss at the San Diego Chargers. On October 4, 2009, Davis recorded three solo tackles, a pass deflection and returned his first career interception for a touchdown during a 38–10 victory against the Buffalo Bills in Week 4. He intercepted a pass attempt by quarterback Trent Edwards that was originally intended for Josh Reed and returned it for a 23-yard touchdown at the end of the second quarter.
On November 1, 2009, Davis earned his first career start in place of Will Allen who was placed on injured reserve after tearing his ACL the previous week. He recorded a season-high seven combined tackles and two pass deflections during their 39–25 victory at the New York Jets in Week 8. The following week, he collected a season-high six solo tackles, broke up two passes and intercepted a pass by Tom Brady during a 27–17 loss at the New England Patriots in Week 9.
He finished his rookie season in with 51 combined tackles (47 solo), 11 pass deflections and four interceptions in 16 games and nine starts. Davis led the team in interceptions as a rookie and led all defensive backs on the team in tackles. Pro Football Weekly selected Davis on its annual All-Rookie team.
Davis started in the Miami Dolphins' season-opener at the Buffalo Bills and made two solo tackles and deflected a pass in their 15–10 victory. In Week 2, Davis collected six solo tackles, two pass deflections and intercepted a pass by Brett Favre during a 14–10 victory at the Minnesota Vikings. After the game, Vikings' quarterback Brett Favre stated, "Number 21, I felt like, was one of the best corners in this league, especially that no one knows about." On November 7, 2010, Davis collected a season-high seven combined tackles and a pass deflection in the Dolphins' 27–10 loss at the Baltimore Ravens in Week 9. Davis completed the season with 54 combined tackles (46 solo), 12 pass deflections and an interception in 16 games and 15 starts.
Head coach Chuck Pagano named Davis a starting cornerback to begin the regular season, along with Jerraud Powers. He made his Indianapolis Colts regular-season debut in their season-opener at the Chicago Bears and recorded five solo tackles in their 41–21 loss. Davis was inactive for two games (Weeks 5–6) due to an ankle injury he sustained in Week 3. On October 28, 2012, Davis made one tackle before exiting the Colts' 19–13 victory at the Tennessee Titans in the first quarter after injuring his knee. His injury sidelined him for the next four games (Weeks 9–12). In Week 14, he collected eight combined tackles, broke up a pass and sacked quarterback Jake Locker during a 27–23 win at the Tennessee Titans. The following week, Davis collected a season-high nine solo tackles during a 29–17 loss at the Houston Texans in Week 15. On December 30, 2012, Davis recorded five solo tackles, three pass deflections and intercepted two passes by Matt Schaub during a 28–16 win in Week 17. He finished the season with 51 combined tackles (46 solo), seven passes defensed, three interceptions and a sack in ten games and ten starts.
The Indianapolis Colts finished second in the AFC South with an 11–5 record and clinched a wildcard berth. On January 6, 2013, Davis started his first career playoff game as the Colts lost 24–9 to the eventual Super Bowl champions, Baltimore Ravens, in the AFC Wildcard Game.
The Indianapolis Colts finished atop their division with an 11–5 record. On January 4, 2014, Davis started in the AFC Wildcard Game and recorded three combined tackles during a 45–44 victory against the Kansas City Chiefs. The following week, he made one tackle in the Colts' 43–22 loss at the New England Patriots in the AFC Divisional Round. Davis earned an overall grade of 86.0 from Pro Football Focus, which was the sixth-highest grade among all qualifying cornerbacks in 2013.
Davis and Greg Toler returned as the Colts' starting cornerback duo to begin the 2014 regular season. On October 9, 2014, Davis collected a season-high five combined tackles and a pass deflection during a 33–28 victory at the Houston Texans in Week 6. In Week 12, he made two solo tackles, two pass deflections and returned an interception for 42 yards in the Colts' 23–3 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The following week, Davis recorded two combined tackles and two pass deflections before leaving the Colts' 49–27 victory against the Washington Redskins in the second quarter after sustaining a concussion. He received the concussion while attempting to tackle running back Roy Helu and remained on the ground for several minutes before walking off the field on his own will. He remained in the Colts' concussion protocol and was inactive for their Week 14 victory at the Cleveland Browns. On December 23, 2014, it was announced that Davis was selected to the 2015 Pro Bowl. Davis completed the season with 42 combined tackles (35 solo), a career-high 18 pass deflections and four interceptions in 15 games and 15 starts. He also led the NFL in lowest opposing passer rating (38.8) and earned an overall grade of 95.1, which was the second-highest overall grade among all qualifying cornerbacks in 2014.
The Indianapolis Colts finished first in the AFC South with an 11–5 record and reached the AFC Championship before being defeated 45–7 by the New England Patriots who eventually won Super Bowl XLIX. During the AFC Divisional Round, Davis recorded eight combined tackles and a career-high five pass deflections in the Colts' 24–13 victory at the Denver Broncos.
On October 29, 2017, Davis collected four combined tackles and a pass deflection during a 24–23 loss at the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 8. Prior to the game, it was reported that the Indianapolis Colts received inquiries from two teams about possibly trading for Davis. Head coach Chuck Pagano benched Davis in favor of rookie Quincy Wilson during the Colts' Week 9 victory against the Houston Texans in what he called a non-injury related coaching decision. Davis voiced his displeasure and stated he felt disrespected after the Colts did not allow him to travel with the team to Houston. This account was disputed by Indianapolis Star columnist Gregg Doyel, who claimed the precipitating factor in not allowing Davis to travel with the team was actually a heated argument with head coach Chuck Pagano over his benching for poor play, a decision which was relayed to the cornerback by assistant coaches, causing Davis to take umbrage.Gregg Doyel, "Story on Colts' Davis Keeps Getting Weirder," Richmond IN Palladium-Item, November 10, 2017, pp. B1- B2 .
On November 8, 2017, it was reported that Davis decided to have surgery to repair a lingering groin injury he sustained during the preseason, which would take him out of play for the remainder of the season. On November 9, 2017, the Indianapolis Colts released Davis, ending a six-year tenure with the team. Davis finished his truncated season with 21 combined tackles (16 solo) and two pass deflections in five games and five starts. Pro Football Focus gave Davis an overall grade of 45.2, which ranked 103rd among all qualifying cornerbacks in 2017.
Davis was a healthy scratch during the team's Week 1 game against the Baltimore Ravens—a pregame decision regarded by Buffalo News beat-writer Jay Skurski as "mildly surprising."Jay Skurski, "Minus Kerley, Reshuffled WR Corps Looking to Rebound," Buffalo News, September 16, 2018, p. B3. This proved a precursor to drama in Week 2, when in the middle of the September 16 contest with the Los Angeles Chargers, in which he had given up a touchdown to Mike Williams, Davis removed himself from the game, stating he was "done".Jay Skurski, "Failing Grades Still Far Too Common For Buffalo," Buffalo News, September 17, 2018, p. B4.
According to a statement made by head coach Sean McDermott, it was not immediately clear whether he meant to retire or simply leave that particular game. Following the game, Davis released a statement confirming his retirement. "This isn't how I pictured retiring from the NFL," Davis said, "but today on the field, reality hit me and hard. I shouldn't be out there anymore." "Bills CB Davis Quits at Halftime," Munster IN Times, September 17, 2018, p. B3.
Davis' decision was not taken well by his teammates and later lampooned in the media. Davis later commented that his abrupt retirement was due to the sudden realization that football was no longer what he was meant to be doing and that "leaving was therapeutic".
Davis' cousin, Jaden Davis, plays in the NFL for the Arizona Cardinals.
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