Apparently the folks in San Francisco still love Vernon Davis.
After playing for more than nine seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, Davis returned to his former home on Sunday to prepare for Super Bowl 50. And instead of receiving any backlash from fans, he was greeted with a “Welcome home Vernon!” sign.
Sharing his feelings about his return to California and the welcome he received, Davis had this to say:
“At first it seemed surreal, and I just had to gather myself for a moment and just think about the opportunity that I have here,” Davis said, per Ben Swanson of the team’s official website. “It’s an amazing opportunity, it’s going to be a great experience — I can feel it — and I’m just very, very thankful that I had a chance to get traded to Denver for this particular reason.”
Getting traded to the Broncos, who eventually fought their way into this year’s Super Bowl, Davis has indeed been awarded a special gift at this late point in his career. The only other time Davis has competed for the opportunity to earn that special ring was in 2012 when the 49ers fell to the Baltimore Ravens after a 2012 Super Bowl season run.
Davis further discussed playing at Levi’s Stadium once again, this time for the big prize:
“It couldn’t get any better than that. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I’m very pleased, thankful and excited all at the same time for the opportunity to go in and experience this year’s Super Bowl at Levi’s Stadium.”
Since his arrival to the Broncos in Week 9 of 2015, Davis has been used sparingly, tallying only 20 receptions for 201 yards and zero touchdowns.
Whether he’ll be on a limited snap count or see any action at all in the Super Bowl will be known soon enough. Either way, if the Broncos can pull off an underdog victory against a dominant Carolina Panthers, Davis will walk away with a wonderful parting gift while his NFL career continues to wind down.