Vernon Davis shipped to Denver, Elway breaks the news
A rumor that started last offseason and mentioned again during training camp, then picked up steam over the last two weeks has come to fruition. Vernon Davis has been traded by the San Francisco 49ers to the Denver Broncos within the last hour.
We’ve agreed to trade for two-time Pro Bowl TE Vernon Davis from SF. He’ll be a valuable addition to our team w/his experience & leadership.
— John Elway (@johnelway) November 2, 2015
Davis has been in the news recently for allegedly calling out 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick a few weeks ago, several reports (the first being Bay Area Sports Guy) stated that Davis got into a physical altercation with left tackle Joe Staley who was coming to the aid of the struggling signal caller.
In terms of on the field production, Davis hasn’t quite been the same since 2013. That year Davis was amazing with 52 catches for 850 yards and an impressive 13 touchdowns. That feels like a long time ago.
Some attribute his decline to poor quarterback play and injuries, but getting away from the Seattle Seahawks, specifically Kam Chancellor may work wonders for the veteran tight end. Joining a Peyton Manning offense certainly can’t hurt, the Broncos offense hasn’t been the same since they lost Julius Thomas this offseason when he chose the Jacksonville Jaguars over returning to Denver. This season, Davis has 18 catches for 194 yards in six games. The Broncos are figuring that with Manning, Davis can rekindle that playmaking ability that scared defenses.
With Manning struggling a bit getting the ball downfield, Davis should be able to mesh well with the Hall of Famer and some of those roll-outs with a tight end with his type of speed should be fun.
In terms of compensation, it didn’t cost the Broncos much. Below Adam Schefter provided what was exchanged between both teams.
So just to be clear in Vernon Davis trade: SF and Denver swapping 6th and 7th round picks in 2016, and 49ers get Denver’s 6th in 2017.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 2, 2015
Vernon won’t be getting a bye week as the Broncos have already had theirs and the 49ers don’t have theirs for another week, time will certainly tell if the grass is greener. Another name being floated around in terms of players being jettisoned out of the Bay area is Staley although I don’t see that happening, the Davis trade was definitely expected by those covering the 49ers on a regular basis.
