As had been expected, tight end Vernon Davis is not in attendance at the 49ers’ mandatory minicamp today, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Subbing in for Peter King at the MMQB.com earlier this week, Davis had strongly suggested that he wouldn’t be present at the Niners’ camp, explaining that he hopes to renegotiate his contract with the club.
“It’s all about getting paid what you deserve,” Davis wrote on Monday. “It’s not that complicated. I want the 49ers to win the Super Bowl, and I want to be on the field this summer working towards that goal, but I have to worry about my future first.”
By failing to attend this week’s minicamp, Davis will be subject to about $70K in fines, after having already forfeited $200K in workout bonuses for missing the team’s OTAs. It remains to be seen whether the tight end will be in attendance when San Francisco begins training camp next month, but if he’s not, he’d have to pay further fines.
Although Davis may feel as if he’s not being paid what he deserves, he’s still among the league’s highest-paid tight ends by annual average value and has two years remaining on his current deal, so his leverage in contract talks will be limited. I expect the 30-year-old to relent before the Niners do, particularly since the team also has to address a potential new contract for Alex Boone and extensions for Michael Crabtree and Mike Iupati, all of which are arguably more pressing than a new deal for Davis.
Really shouldn’t have been expected. About two weeks ago he said he was gonna be there while on SC.
Yeah, up until Monday I think it was expected he’d be there, but when he referred to his “holdout” in The MMQB, it was a strong sign that his stance had changed.
— Luke