Anthony Davis Announces He Has Applied for Reinstatement to NFL

Former San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Anthony Davis announced Monday he has officially filed for reinstatement to play in the NFL again. 

Davis took a one-year sabbatical from the league in 2015. In a statement from June 2015, the 49ers had said Davis "informed the team he plans to retire."

According to the Sacramento Bee's Matt Barrows, Davis let the 49ers know a week ago that he intended to set the wheels in motion for his return to the league. The timeline for his reinstatement is unknown.

Jason Cole of Bleacher Report later reported the 49ers are "wary" of Davis potentially walking away from the game again and that the team will be "extremely careful" as it proceeds:

As the Record's Art Stapleton noted, Davis' old contract would go back into effect should the NFL reinstate him. According to Spotrac, he'd be due to earn a base salary of $2.65 million in 2016.

CSNBayArea.com's Matt Maiocco wrote on June 12 that San Francisco had yet to give Davis' No. 76 jersey to another player. Maiocco also shared a screenshot of a since-deleted tweet from Davis that read: "I Will Play Ball. They Won't Be Selling My Jersey Any Time Soon."

In April, the 26-year-old indicated in a series of since-deleted tweets (via Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio) that he desired a move away from the Bay Area in the event he played in the NFL again:

"

I do not want to work with a front office or anyone else who seemingly doesn't want to win as bad as I do. Would you happily rent your body out to people that b------t you and constantly try to manipulate you? I hope you'd stand up for yourself. . . . I don't like the back and forth messy s--t. Don't speak to me in code.

"

Despite starting 71 games for San Francisco between 2010 and 2014, Davis is unlikely to walk back into his old job right away should he suit up for the Niners. Offensive line coach Pat Flaherty was definitive in his stance that Davis would have to earn his place again, per Maiocco:

"

And he knows this, coming from me, if he wants to play, then he's got to come back and prove he can play.

[...]

It's got to come from within. You can tell him exactly what I just said, 'Listen, you'll have an opportunity to play. But that's all it is. You decided for whatever reason to retire. If you come back in the game, nothing is going to be handed to you. You're going to have to work your tail off.'

"

The team may not have much choice, though. Erik Pears earned a 37.5 overall grade last year on Pro Football Focus, while Trent Brown (66.6) wasn't much better. San Francisco selected two tackles—John Theus and Fahn Cooper—in the fifth round of the 2016 draft, but expecting them to deliver immediate returns as NFL starters is risky.

Davis would likely have a few suitors should he hit the free-agent market upon reinstatement. Given the state of the 49ers offensive line, though, he may still have a future in San Francisco.