Panthers' Thomas Davis: Knee injuries may have extended my career

Carolina Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis is a glass-half-full kind of guy.

Davis - who's the first known NFL player to return and play a full season after undergoing three ACL surgeries on the same knee - said Monday that he believes injuries may have actually extended his career.

"That's the way I'm looking at it," Davis told David Newton of ESPN.com. "I lost two-and-a-half years to injuries, but I also feel I gained two-and-a-half years. ... This was my 10th year and I'm going on year 11, and I still feel I have a lot of football left in me."

The 31-year-old has one year remaining on his contract with the Panthers, but the thought of retirement hasn't yet crossed his mind.

"I do understand that I’m getting up there in years," Davis said. "I've played more years than I have left. At the end of the day I'm taking advantage of each situation I have. From year to year, however my career plays out moving forward, I'm just going to enjoy every minute."