Ex-Niners tight end Vernon Davis retires in Super Bowl commercial

Just a few hours before kickoff of Super Bowl LIV, a former 49ers legend used the event to announce his retirement. Tight end Vernon Davis, who spent his post-49ers days with Denver and Washington, used a commercial to hang up his cleats.

Davis is seen in the commercial with former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski and former Steelers linebacker James Harrison. In the commercial, Davis and Harrison make up Gronkowski’s “retirement crew.” The entire commercial is supposed to paid homage to “Golden Girls,” a popular sitcom in the 80s and 90s.

Davis had a slow start to his career, but started to reach his potential when Mike Singletary took over as the 49ers interim head in 2008.

He caught a game winning touchdown against the Saints in the Divisional Round in 2011 that was later dubbed “The Catch III” in reference to the catches made by the late Dwight Clark and Terrell Owens.

It’s funny to juxtapose this retirement with his brother Vontae’s retirement. Vontae Davis abruptly retired at halftime of the Bills-Chargers game in 2018 when the Bills were down 28-6 at half. Davis told Bills head coach Sean McDermott at halftime that he was “done.”

Vernon Davis finished his career with 583 catches for 7562 and 63 touchdowns and two Pro Bowl appearances. He was also a member of the 2015 Denver Broncos that won Super Bowl L.

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