Vernon Davis to Redskins: Latest Contract Details, Comments, Reaction

It wasn’t long ago that Vernon Davis was one of the most dangerous tight ends in the NFL. That's no longer the case, but Washington hopes he can tap into his old talent once again, as the team announced it signed Davis on March 31.

CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora and ESPN's John Keim initially reported that Washington and Davis agreed to terms. Adam Schefter of ESPN reported Davis signed a one-year deal. Davis announced the move on Twitter: 

Davis' deal reportedly has a base salary of $1.35 million, and the tight end can earn up to $2.4 million with incentives, per Mike Jones of the Washington Post.

This doesn’t come as much of a surprise, considering Schefter reported Davis visited Washington on March 10. Schefter also pointed to the connection with Washington general manager Scot McCloughan, and Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk said McCloughan was the vice president of player personnel with the San Francisco 49ers in 2006 when they drafted Davis in the first round.

On Thursday, Davis talked about moving to Denver midseason last year and told reporters, "That was tough. I don't wish that on anyone...it's so much stress."

He added he's not worried about learning the Redskins' system, because he'll be there the entire season. 

Davis also has a connection with Washington, D.C., beyond McCloughan. Stephen Czarda of the Redskins' official website noted the tight end grew up in the nation’s capital and even attended nearby University of Maryland.

On the field, Keim said Washington wanted to improve its tight end blocking, and Davis is someone who can fill that role. However, he has to be more productive than he was last season to justify the signing.

He played six games for the 49ers in 2015 and tallied only 194 receiving yards before San Francisco traded him to the Denver Broncos. Davis posted 201 receiving yards in nine contests for the Broncos but didn’t register a single catch in three playoff games.

In fact, Davis was nowhere near the force he used to be over the past two seasons:

Season	Team	Games	Catches	REC Yards	TD Catches
2006	49ers	10	20	265	3
2007	49ers	14	52	509	4
2008	49ers	16	31	358	2
2009	49ers	16	78	965	13
2010	49ers	16	56	914	7
2011	49ers	16	67	792	6
2012	49ers	16	41	548	5
2013	49ers	15	52	850	13
2014	49ers	14	26	245	2
2015	49ers	6	18	194	0
2015	Broncos	9	20	201	0

Davis is not far removed from a dominant 2013 season with 13 touchdown catches. He is also a 6’3”, athletic red-zone threat who is still quick enough to get past linebackers in the open field and strong enough to outmuscle defenders in jump-ball situations.

However, he is 32 years old, and it is impossible to ignore the fact he essentially disappeared down the stretch last season (his last catch came on Dec. 20 against the Pittsburgh Steelers).

Washington still has Jordan Reed on the roster, so tight end wasn’t a glaring need this offseason. That will theoretically take some of the pressure off Davis in 2016 as a complementary player.

Washington could do worse than a two-time Pro Bowler as a role player.