NFL Rumors: Vernon Davis To Washington, Despite Lackluster Broncos Tour
Vernon Davis used to be one of the elite tight ends in the game. But after quietly fading in San Francisco, the former Pro Bowler was shipped off to Denver to help resurrect his career with Peyton Manning and the Broncos.
That of course did not come to pass, and now the 32-year-old free agent to be will be looking for a new home this coming offseason. BAccording to Pro Football Talk, Davis might have a suitor in the Washington Redskins.
“Keep an eye on Washington, where the guy who drafted Davis in San Francisco now serves as G.M. At a minimum, expect Scot McCloughan to at least visit with Davis in an effort to figure out where the player currently is in his career, and whether he can get back to being the guy he was a couple of years ago, before he started posturing for a new contract and sold a chunk of his future earnings to Fantex in exchange for the kind of lump sum he likely won’t see again in the NFL.”
Meanwhile, Denver’s GM John Elway talked in-depth about what went wrong with the Vernon Davis experiment in Denver at the NFL combine this past week.
“I think that the coaches kind of go in different directions at different times and how things mix and we could never really get up to speed with him,” Elway said.
“He did come in late in the year, so whether he didn’t feel comfortable with what we were doing and what we could get him in situations, we tried to get him in situations to be successful. But then again it comes down to making those calls during a game and where he had a chance. So that’s another area we’ll look at, tight end’s a position we have to look at, still very fluid that we feel like we have to get better there.”
Regardless of whether the Redskins will take a flyer on Davis or the Broncos will do the unexpected and re-sign him, Vernon himself remains optimistic that he’ll be in the NFL for years to come. In fact, Davis told ESPN’s Josina Anderson that he expects to play another four or five years if possible.
Impending free agent TE Vernon Davis told me he would still like to play another “4-5 years” if possible. #Broncos
— Josina Anderson (@JosinaAnderson) March 6, 2016
His teammate Peyton Manning, meanwhile, is not expected to do the same. USA Today is reporting that Manning plans to retire after 18 NFL seasons, five MVPs, and two titles, capped off by last month’s Super Bowl 50 victory over the Carolina Panthers.
“When you look at everything Peyton has accomplished as a player and person, it’s easy to see how fortunate we’ve been to have him on our team,” Broncos general manager John Elway said in a statement. “Peyton was everything that we thought he was and even more — not only for the football team but in the community. I’m very thankful Peyton chose to play for the Denver Broncos, and I congratulate him on his Hall of Fame career.”
Manning was the number one pick of the Indianapolis Colts back in 1996. He helped lead that franchise to two Super Bowl appearances and one victory over the Chicago Bears back in 2006 where Manning was named MVP. But a series of debilitating neck injuries forced the Colts to release Peyton before the start of the 2012 season, and he was signed by the Denver Broncos.
In four seasons with the Broncos, Manning was able to repeat the success he had with the Colts, leading Denver to two Super Bowl appearances, including last month’s victory over the Panthers.
[Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images]
