Linebacker Thomas Davis wants to play for the Panthers beyond this season 鈥?if the team will have him back.

The 35-year-old Davis Chargers Authentic Jerseys , who is entering his 14th season with Carolina, will be an unrestricted free after this season.

"If the team is willing to have me back, I will be back," Davis said Monday following training camp practice at Wofford College.

Davis, the Panthers' all-time leading tackler, will begin the season serving a four-game NFL-imposed suspension after testing positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance 鈥?a blemish on an otherwise stellar NFL career that has included returning from three torn ACLs in the same knee to earn All-Pro in 2015, three Pro Bowls selections (2015-17) and the Walter Payton Man of the Year award.

He doesn't want to end his career serving a suspension during his final season.

"I just look at the way things transpired this offseason and I think back to my legacy and the things I have been able to do as a football player and I don't want to leave on a sour note," Davis said. "You never want to walk away from the game knowing you served a four-game suspension. That is really my mindset right now. So as long as I am able to continue to play football I will do that."

With Davis sitting out the first four games, Shaq Thompson will fill Davis' spot at weak side linebacker and David Mayo is expected to start at strong side linebacker. It's unclear at this point if Davis would be in the starting lineup when he returns.

Davis is allowed to participate in all practices and preseason games, but must step away from the team altogether on Sept. 3. He plans to spend that time staying in shape and watching his sons play youth football.

He also has "a couple of offers" to do some other things during the first four weeks of the season Eagles Elite Jerseys , but would not elaborate on whether those opportunities television-related.

Davis has been a productive player for the Panthers despite suffering the three knee injuries in consecutive seasons 鈥?2009, 2010 and 2011 鈥?which limited him to nine games and threatened to end his career.

But he persevered and followed that up with five straight 100-tackle seasons and three Pro Bowls.

However, his numbers dropped off last year. Davis registered 76 tackles, 2 陆 sacks and no interceptions as Thompson took on a bigger role in the defense.

Panthers coach Ron Rivera did not address Davis' future beyond this season, saying only "Thomas has been a great player for us. And I look forward to Thomas playing for us."

Panthers general manager Marty Hurney was not immediately available for comment.

With his future beyond this season up in the air, Davis said he is enjoying every moment of training camp despite the sweltering heat.

"I come out and embrace it every day, talking trash at a high level every day to Cam (Newton) daily and just coming out and competing and having fun with my teammates," Davis said.

Super Bowl champion Philadelphia will host Atlanta to kick off the 2018 NFL season on Thursday night, Sept. 6.

Green Bay hosts Chicago in the first Sunday night matchup on Sept. 9, while the Monday nighters on opening weekend feature the New York Jets at Detroit Quenton Nelson Youth Jersey , followed by the Los Angeles Rams at Oakland.

The Eagles also will play at England's home of soccer when they take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 8 at Wembley Stadium.

That's one of four international games. The other match at Wembley will be the previous week with the Los Angeles Chargers hosting the Tennessee Titans. Tottenham Hotspur's new stadium, also in London, will be the site for a Raiders home game on Oct. 14 against Seattle.

For the third straight year, the NFL will stage a game in Mexico City: the Rams will host Kansas City in a Week 11 Monday night game.

Thanksgiving will provide a feast of divisional games. The traditional doubleheader in Detroit and Dallas has the Lions playing the Bears, followed by the Redskins at the Cowboys. At night, it will be Atlanta visiting New Orleans.

Other intriguing matchups include Cleveland, which lost all 16 games last season, hosting archrival Pittsburgh on opening day; New England at Jacksonville in a rematch of the AFC title game in Week 2; the Eagles and Vikings in an NFC championship game redux in Philly on Oct. 7; and the Steelers vs. Patriots in Pittsburgh in Week 15.

"We like to open at home in front of our great fans and this will be the second season in a row we do it against the Steelers," Browns coach Hue Jackson said. "We start with the best in our division."

Fox, which will do 11 Thursday night games Adrian Clayborn Jersey Patriots , begins its package in Week 4 with the Vikings at the Rams. Those contests also will be televised by NFL Network and in Spanish on Fox Deportes. NFL Network has seven exclusive broadcasts.

Flexible scheduling in which a Sunday afternoon game can be switched to the evening because it is a better matchup than the previously planned game will be in use for Weeks 11-17. But two Sundays in Weeks 5-10 also can have a game flexed to night.

In a new twist, flex scheduling will be used for Saturday games in Weeks 15 and 16. In Week 15, two games will be played on Saturday, Dec. 15: Houston at the New York Jets and Cleveland at Denver, with game times of 4:30 p.m. EST and 8:20 p.m. EST to be determined. In Week 16, two of four possible matchups will be scheduled for Saturday: Baltimore at the Chargers, Jacksonville at Miami, the New York Giants at Indianapolis, or Washington at Tennessee. Start times for Saturday games for Week 15 and 16 will be announced no later than following Week 8, with the contests not chosen for Saturday to be played on Sunday on the 16th weekend.

No Sunday night game has been scheduled for the last day of the season Youth Derrius Guice Jersey , Dec. 30. That will be chosen after Week 16 games conclude.

The 2018 schedule has three three-game road trips, down from seven last year. The Saints, Rams and Ravens will have those three-game journeys, but the Ravens and Rams also have three-game homestands. In all, 12 franchises are home for three straight weeks, and Baltimore and Indianapolis have a bye in there, meaning neither club will leave home for a month.

Also, no team plays a road game following a road Monday night match. That occurred last year five times.

AP Sports Writer Tom Withers in Cleveland contributed.

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