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Vernon Davis Could Hold Out of Mandatory Minicamp

Despite boasting the second-highest average annual salary among tight ends, San Francisco 49ers playmaker Vernon Davis isn’t happy with his contract. The eight-year NFL veteran has two years remaining on that deal and wants to be extended prior to the start of the regular season. 

Davis did not paricipate in voluntary organized team activities earlier in May, which cost him a cool $200 thousand in workout bonuses. Veterans missing voluntary minicamp normally isn’t a big deal, but to fail to show up with that amount of money on the line is a big deal.

For his part, Davis has indicated that he’s not sure whether he will show up to mandatory minicamp in mid June (via SF Gate).

I might be there…I might not. It’s mandatory. I probably should be there. We’ll see.

According to this SF Gate report, Davis would be subject to nearly $70 thousand in fines. Considering he skipped out on voluntary camp with $200 thousand at stake, that’s probably not a big deal.

What exactly does Davis want? That’s the bigger question at hand here. He’s already the second-highest paid tight end in the NFL in terms of annual salary, right behind Dallas Cowboys’ Jason Witten. He’s also received all of the $23 million guaranteed from his current deal which was signed in 2010.

The 30-year-old tight end saw a dramatic increase in production last season, as he seemed to get more comfortable with young quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Davis put up 13 touchdowns and averaged a whopping 16.3 yards per reception. He did, however, struggle for the first time in three trips to the playoffs. The tight end tallied just five receptions in three games.

49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh, always a wizard when it comes to the press, had this to say about Davis and Alex Boone, both of whom are seeking new deals (via CSN Bay Area).

I’m not going to speak for another man and what they’re trying to get done with their contract…If they want to talk about it publicly, and they think it’s beneficial to talk about it publicly, then they’ll choose to do that. Certainly, you could have Vernon or Alex [Boone] on the show and ask them or talk to their agent, if they think that’s something that’s beneficial. I choose to not do it.

San Francisco is going to be relying a great deal on Davis heading into the 2014 season. With the addition of veteran wide receiver Steve Johnson, its passing game should be dramatically improved from a year ago. If Davis were to miss any time due to this contract issues, it would hurt the team big time. With that said, it’s nearly unheard of for a veteran who is not entering the final year of his contract to holdout into the summer.

Photo: Fan Cloud

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