Three years ago, Carlton Davis blinked. Set to enter free agency as one of the top cornerbacks on the market, Davis preemptively re-signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, choosing a familiar and secure setting and chasing another Super Bowl ring — and possibly leaving money on the table.

Davis, since traded to the Detroit Lions and once again headed for free agency, is taking a much different approach this time around. As he prepares for the start of the “legal tampering” period, with players allowed to agree to new deals as early as noon ET on Monday, Davis fully expects to relocate, and he insists he won’t sign until the price is right.

“I feel like last time, I just kind of panicked,” Davis told The Athletic on Saturday. “I was younger, and my mindset was, ‘I need to go ahead and just choose.’ At the time, the thinking was, ‘This is the offer, and the more you wait, the more that number’s gonna go down.’ Yeah, that can happen, but teams know your value, and right now I’m playing my best football.

“This time, I ain’t gonna settle for less.”

Davis, 28, doesn’t believe the Lions will make an aggressive effort to bring him back. He had a productive 2024 season in Detroit, giving up a completion rate of 55.3 percent and a passer rating of 77.0 while intercepting two passes before suffering a season-ending broken jaw in a mid-December defeat to the Buffalo Bills. The Lions spent their top two draft picks last spring on cornerbacks Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. and are reportedly seeking a veteran cornerback in the $12 million-per-year range.

Davis, having played out the three-year, $45-million contract he signed in 2022, is looking for more — much more. He said he wants to be paid like a “top 10 or top 15 cornerback”; according to the most recent salary figures, the Tennessee Titans’ L’Jarius Sneed is the NFL’s 10th-highest paid corner, with an annual average of $19.1 million.

The New York Jets — whose newly hired head coach, Aaron Glenn, was the Lions’ defensive coordinator last season — and New England Patriots are believed to be among the teams who’ll make a strong push for Davis before the start of the league year, which officially begins Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET. Charvarius Ward (San Francisco 49ers) and Byron Murphy Jr. (Minnesota Vikings) are the other top cornerbacks on the market.

It’s easy to understand why the Jets and Patriots might be interested in Davis. Both teams recently hired head coaches (Glenn and Mike Vrabel) who had previous stints with those respective franchises as star defenders known for their physicality.

Davis, whose nickname is “C-Murda,” is a hard-nosed player who has become progressively better as a run defender since the Bucs made him a second-round draft choice and immediate starter in 2018. The 6-1, 206-pounder had 56 tackles and two fumble recoveries in 13 games last season before breaking his jaw while wrapping up Bills running back Ray Davis.

“There are very few corners in the NFL — you can probably name five — who have the same presence in the passing game and the running game,” Carlton Davis said. “I bring aggression and coverage skills, and I’ve been displaying both for years.

“Guys who know ball understand the impact that I have. Teams know about me. They scheme around me. They’re scared of me. They know what’s up. I’m playing my best ball, and I’m gonna be even better this year.”

Like many successful corners, Davis has a brash personality that he considers an essential part of his makeup. Yet his quest to get paid is driven more by business sensibilities than emotion. As he prepares for his eighth NFL season, having already captured a championship and been part of five playoff teams, Davis sees a fertile market and fully intends to capitalize on his freedom.

“It’s not, ‘I need the money,’” Davis said. “I want to be happy. I’ve won a Super Bowl and I’ve already made a lot of money. If it was to end right now, I wouldn’t be disappointed. I would not be mad at all.

“But at this point of my career, I’m in my prime. The receiver market is going up, and the cornerback market is going up — and it’s going to keep going up in years to come. The (salary) cap is going up. The NFL TV deals are going to keep going up. There’s more than enough money for them to pay you what you’re worth.

“For me, playing at this high level, to take less than I’m worth, I’d be doing myself a disservice and my family a disservice. I’m not doing that this time.”