Carolina Panthers LB Thomas Davis now 'open' to playing past 2018

Carolina Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis is willing to open a door he previously shut.

After saying that the upcoming season would be his last, Davis told reporters on Thursday that he was open to playing beyond 2018.

"I'm very open to the possibility of playing next season," the 35-year-old Davis said, per the Charlotte Observer.

Davis' season will be shorter after he was suspended for the first four games for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances. He insisted on Thursday that he never "knowingly" took anything illegal, and that the supplements he was using were the same as he's done the previous eight years.

In January, Davis declared that the 2018 season would be his last of a 14-year career.

Davis missed all but nine games from 2009-2011 because he tore his ACL three times, but he has started all 78 games he has played over the past five seasons.

Davis was named to the Pro Bowl in 2015-17, and was a first-team All-Pro selection in 2015. He was named the Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2014 for his off-field work.

Davis started all 15 regular-season games he played in 2017, but his tackle total was down to 76 -- his lowest in a full season since his rookie year in 2005.