AP

Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis backed away from plans to retire after the 2018 season this spring and said in June that he is “very open to the possibility” of playing another year in 2019.

As it turns out, Davis is wide open to the possibility and he’d like to continue as a member of the Panthers. Davis said on Monday that he will be back in 2019 “if the team is willing to have me back.” Davis went on to explain that the four-game suspension he’ll serve to start the year is a major factor in his decision.

“I look at the way things transpired this offseason and think back to, really, my legacy and the things that I’ve been able to do as a football player,” Davis said, via the team’s website. “I don’t want to leave on a sour note. You never want to walk away from the game knowing that you served a four-game suspension. That’s my mindset right now.”

Davis is not under contract for the 2019 season, but his long history with the organization likely means that a healthy and effective 2018 season would probably pave the way for at least one more year in a Panthers uniform.