As anticipated, Vernon Davis and Alex Boone can now officially be classified as holdouts, writes Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. Neither player showed up to the 49ers’ mandatory minicamp today, and both men will be subject to fines of nearly $70K if they miss all three days of the camp. Both Davis and Boone are unhappy with their contracts and are looking to negotiate new deals, so it figures to be a busy summer for the Niners, who already locked up Colin Kaepernick and will likely explore extensions for Michael Crabtree and Mike Iupati.
Here’s more out of San Francisco:
- Kaepernick expressed his support for Davis and Boone, suggesting that he won’t harbor any ill will toward either player for missing the team’s practices this week. “I would love to see all of our players there, but at the same time, they have to do what’s best for them and make their own decisions,” Kaepernick said, according to Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group.
- Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee views Boone’s case for a new contract as stronger than Davis’, but suggests that both players could be hard-pressed to reach agreements this year, given the Niners’ current cap situation. San Francisco probably can’t afford to pay ever player who deserves a raise, so the team will have to identify its top priorities.
- While his teammates eye new deals, running back Kendall Hunter is trying to avoid thinking about his situation as he enters a contract year, writes Inman. “You can’t think about that,” Hunter said of his impending free agency. “I just want to play football and help the team.”