Demario Davis spends close to $1 million a year keeping his body in the game
At 37 and entering his 15th season, the Jets linebacker treats his physical maintenance like a business. A six-person team and a $160,000 wellness device are part of the plan.
Demario Davis estimates he spends between $500,000 and $1 million every year on training and recovery, and at 37 years old he has the durability to show for it. The veteran linebacker, who signed a two-year, $22 million deal with the New York Jets this offseason, is preparing for his 15th NFL season after playing 227 games since 2012 and missing just one because of injury. His regimen runs from acupuncture and hyperbaric chambers to a $160,000 wellness bed, and a six-person support team travels the country to keep him on the field. As Davis put it, 'My body is my company, and the brand that comes from playing the game is my company.'
What does Demario Davis actually spend the money on?
Davis runs one of the most extensive recovery operations in the league, and the menu of treatments is long. It includes acupuncture and Tecar therapy, which uses radiofrequency energy, along with cupping, scraping, and dry-needle work. He also uses a hyperbaric chamber, red-light therapy, and PEMF, or pulse electromagnetic field therapy. Fascia stretching therapy, active release techniques, hot and cold tubs, saunas, and Epsom-salt baths round out the routine. The single most expensive item is an Ammortal chamber bed, a wellness device that runs about $160,000.
How has the investment translated to durability?
The numbers behind Davis are unusual for a player his age. He is 37 and getting ready for his 15th season, and he has appeared in 227 games since entering the league in 2012. Over that entire stretch he has missed only one game because of injury, a level of availability that almost no linebacker sustains into his late 30s. If he plays every game this season, he will rank fourth all-time in games played at the position. To keep that streak going, a six-person team travels from California, Arizona, and Texas to work with him year-round, with primary providers Alexis Luczak and Jose Tienda, who goes by 'Dr. J,' handling the heaviest workload during the season.
Why did the Jets want him in New York?
The Jets signed Davis to a two-year, $22 million contract with $15 million guaranteed, betting that his durability and leadership are worth the price even at 37. He fits a clear plan under coach Aaron Glenn, who has built this defense around size and has said plainly that football is a 'big man's game.' At 248 pounds, Davis is 32 pounds heavier than Jamien Sherwood, the linebacker he is replacing, part of a front that now projects to feature several players over 300 pounds. For a unit leaning on mass and physicality, a veteran who has proven he can stay on the field for a full season is exactly the kind of anchor the staff wanted. Davis treating his maintenance like a business only reinforces the bet.
Players in this story
Sources
- ESPN: Jets' Demario Davis spends nearly $1M annually on body recovery
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