Vernon Davis is one of only two San Francisco 49ers players who has not reported to voluntary team workouts. According to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, the two-time Pro Bowl tight end is trying to send a message.
Davis is reportedly looking for a new contract. He has two years remaining on the six-year, $42.7 million deal he signed back in 2010, but the former Maryland star apparently feels like he is outperforming his contract after an All-Pro season in 2013. When asked on Wednesday why Davis has not been attending workouts, Niners coach Jim Harbaugh was vague.
“As you know, the workouts are voluntary,” he said. “That would be the reason.”
Davis’ attendance is not mandatory, but typically players participate unless they have some sort of personal issue or are unhappy with their current situation. By not showing up to the practices, Davis is giving up his $200,000 annual workout bonus.
The other player who has not attended voluntary workouts is offensive guard Alex Boone, who is also reportedly seeking a new deal.
Davis’ current contract pays an average annual salary of $7.35 million, which places him third in the NFL among tight ends behind Rob Gronkowski and Jason Witten. The deal was front-loaded, so he is scheduled to make around $5 million this season and next.
As Maiocco noted, the Niners have just over $8 million in cap space with players like Colin Kaepernick, Michael Crabtree and Mike Iupati entering the final years of their contracts. The team can start fining Davis if he does not show up when mandatory minicamp begins on June 17.
