49ers Trade Vernon Davis To Broncos For Late Picks

The San Francisco 49ers, who are in the midst of a plummeting season, recently chosen to move one of their veteran players, and traded tight end Vernon Davis to the Denver Broncos, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. In exchange, the 49ers will receive sixth-and-seventh-round picks in the 2016 NFL draft and a sixth-round pick in 2017, according to a report.

Davis, 31, has been with the 49ers since becoming a first-round pick in the 2006 draft (10 seasons). He is in the last year of his contract and will become a free agent in 2016, so this trade is really more of a rental for the Broncos. Davis has a strong build, at 6’3” and weighing 250 pounds, but consistency has proven to be just one of his weaknesses. His best season was in 2009, during which he caught 78 passes for 965 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also snagged 13 touchdowns in 2013. The 2014 season was the worst one of his career, during which he caught merely 26 passes and two touchdowns in 14 games. This season, Davis has been battling a knee injury, which caused him to miss two games before he was traded to the Broncos.

The 49ers appear to have chosen Davis as part of a grander strategy of recruiting a younger crop of players after a rocky offseason.