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Between a significant decline in production, contract holdouts and multiple dropped passes last season, Vernon Davis is on the hot seat entering the 2015 season. Never mind the fact that Davis currently plays for a team that has suffered more losses in one offseason than most teams go through in a decade, because last year he made himself expendable.
Davis infamously held out two years before his contract was even up, claiming he was one of the best tight ends in the league and deserved to be paid as such. When he was not offered a new contract early, he went on to play the 2014 season anyway, leaving his holdout attempt in the past and in vain. However, Davis ironically played as poorly as he has in his entire career.
Davis scored just two touchdowns in Week 1 and would not exceed 40 yards or score another touchdown for the entire season. Furthermore, many of the passes sent his way were dropped, fumbled or missed entirely.
While the hits just keep coming for the San Francisco 49ers, and losing Davis next year would seem to add insult to injury, the truth is, Davis needs the 49ers more than they need him. If Davis wants a shot at a contract with good promise and good pay with any team, let alone the 49ers next year, he must prove himself on and off the field during this critical contract year.
The 49ers need to see the old Davis on the field. They need to see the tight end who was an end zone threat and averaged over 16 yards per catch. If Davis wants to get the contract he feels he deserves, he not only needs to make adjustments on the field, but also needs to watch how he is being perceived by the rest of the NFL and the world at large.
Last season’s holdout was not received warmly by fans and critics of Davis, and when asked about his lowered production in 2014, Davis placed the blame on other factors instead of taking responsibility for his poor play. One of these major factors was Greg Roman, former 49ers offensive coordinator, according to Davis. Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee quoted Davis saying this on Roman’s impact on his play in 2014:
“Whenever I’d run, like, my deep over routes there was a safety sitting over there already. It was just game planning, and nothing really ever opened up. But I wasn’t really ever a factor in the offense last year. The first game, yeah. But the second game, the tight ends weren’t really involved as a whole.”
While it’s easy to blame someone else for your problems, Davis certainly had many dropped balls that can’t be blamed on anyone other than himself. New 49ers offensive coordinator Geep Chryst has been vocal about lowering the amount of wide receiver sets, meaning the tight ends will have a bigger role in the offense this season.
With that in mind, if Davis doesn’t have a good season this year, no one is to blame but himself. This will be the most critical season of his career, and if he wants to land a good contract next year, Davis needs to play like his life depends on it.
Kelsey Kay is a San Francisco 49ers analyst for Rant Sports. Follow her on Twitter @kelseyykayyy, “Like” her on Facebook or add her to your network on Google.
