I am going to mention the unmentionable here because it matches up pretty much with what I indicated over the weekend. Despite a report yesterday by Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports that suggested Vontae Davis was closing in on a deal to return to Indianapolis, it now appears that the veteran cornerback will be moving on in free agency.
According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, yes take it with somewhat of a grain of salt, Davis will likely sign with an unnamed team when free agency opens at 4 pm ET on Tuesday. Connecting the dots here for a second, the San Francisco 49ers are on the verge of releasing cornerback Carlos Rogers, which would save them about $5 million in cap space and leave them with just four cornerbacks on the roster. Needless to say, they’re going to hit the market hard when the new league year starts.
There are apparently other teams in the mix as well.
Word amongst insiders is the New York Jets are going hard after cornerback Vontae Davis.
— Tony Pauline (@TonyPauline) March 10, 2014
The Jets also sent a veteran in the form of Antonio Cromartie packing over the weekend and will look to add an upper-echelon free agent at that position. Both San Francisco and New York run defenses that seem to fit Davis’ physical style on the outside. That’s something important to take into account.
If it does come down to these two teams, not at all a given at this point, Davis might have a decision to make.
Does he go for the bigger bucks in New Jersey or attempt to catch on with a winning team and play with his brother Vernon in Santa Clara? That may very well dictate the outcome of this situation. It’s also important to look at teams that might not have a common link to Davis, but possess a similar need as New York and San Francisco. The Oakland Raiders and St. Louis Rams come to mind.
Either way, we can expect Vontae Davis to sign with a team on Tuesday.
Photo: Mark J. Rebilas, USA Today