Background and career
Vontae Ottis Davis (May 27, 1988 – April 1, 2024) was an American professional football player who was a cornerback 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 Pro Bowls 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.
Davis attended Dunbar High School in Washington, D.C., where he played football and ran track. He played football as a cornerback and wide receiver. During his senior season, he recorded 38 tackles and eight interceptions and achieved many awards and honors including Washington Post first-team All-Metro, PrepStar All-American, DCIAA West first-team All-Conference and D.C. Gatorade Player of the Year. 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.
Davis chose Illinois over Maryland, Michigan State and Virginia. Davis had a great freshman season for the Fighting Illini recording 30 tackles and intercepting one pass. He was named to the Freshman All-America first teams by The Sporting News, Scout.com and Rivals.com and was also the Fighting Illini's Rookie of the Year. In 2007, he started all 12 games he played recording 56 tackles, including 13 in the Rose Bowl against USC and was tied for third in the Big Ten with four interceptions. After his junior season, he declared that he would forgo his senior season and become eligible for the 2009 NFL draft.
Davis attended the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana and completed all of the combine and positional drills. On March 18, 2009, Davis attended Illinois' pro day and opted to perform the majority of combine drills. He posted better times in the 40-yard dash (4.40s), 20-yard dash (2.52s) and 10-yard dash (1.48s) while also adding height to his vertical jump (37.5"). At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Davis was projected to be a first- or second-round selection by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked the third-best cornerback prospect in the draft by DraftScout.com.
The Miami Dolphins selected Davis in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft, using the 25th pick of the draft. Davis was the second cornerback drafted behind Ohio State's Malcolm Jenkins and was the first of two cornerbacks the Dolphins selected in the first two rounds, along with Utah's Sean Smith, whom they drafted in the second round with the 61st overall pick.
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 2009 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.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
