Ex49ers tight end Davis retires in ad
Just a few hours before kickoff of Super Bowl LIV, former 49ers tight end Vernon Davis, who spent the first 10 seasons of his career in San Francisco, used a commercial for Fox Sports during the network’s pregame show to hang up his cleats.
Davis is seen in the commercial with former New England tight end Rob Gronkowski and former Pittsburgh linebacker James Harrison. Davis and Harrison make up Gronkowski’s “retirement crew,” dubbed “The Golden Gronks.” The commercial is supposed to pay homage to “The Golden Girls,” a popular sitcom in the 1980s and ’90s.
“That’s right, I’m retiring,” Davis says in the commercial. He later confirmed his decision to ESPN.
Davis, who spent his post49ers days with Denver and Washington, finishes his career with 583 catches for 7,562 yards and 63 touchdowns and two Pro Bowl appearances. He was also a member of the 2015 Broncos team that won Super Bowl 50 at Levi’s Stadium.
Davis had 441 recept ins for 5,640 yards and 55 TDs with the 49ers, reaching a careerhigh 13 TDs in a season twice. He caught a gamewinning touchdown against the Saints in the divisional round of the 2011 season that later was dubbed “The Catch III” in reference to the catches made by the late Dwight Clark and Terrell Owens.
It’s interesting to juxtapose this retirement with his brother Vontae’s retirement. Vontae Davis abruptly retired at halftime of the ChargersBills game in 2018 when the Bills were down 286 at half. Davis told Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott at halftime that he was “done.”