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Fooch's Update: Well, reasons might be clarifying.
Source: #49ers TE Vernon Davis, absent from offseason program, seeks a new contract. http://t.co/s3WQv3J1g9
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoCSN) May 29, 2014
The San Francisco 49ers are two days into OTAs and we've now heard that both Alex Boone and Vernon Davis are not in attendance. We have already heard reports that Boone is not happy with his current contract. Nothing has been confirmed on the record, but the rumors are out that he is unhappy.
Davis missed the first two days of OTAs, and according to Jim Harbaugh "hasn’t been here as much, no, at the facility." By staying away from the facility, Davis is forfeiting a $200,000 workout bonus. His contract calls for $200,000 workout bonuses each year through the 2015 season, when his contract comes to an end.
Naturally, Davis's absence has led to plenty of people wondering if he is planning a holdout as well. Like Boone he is signed through 2015. Of course, unlike Boone, Davis's contract is a little more in line with the top tight ends in the league. That's not to say Davis might not want more money sooner rather than later, but contractually, Davis and Boone are in slightly different situations.
One difference we have already seen is that there have been no Davis contract rumors. While it could all be flying under the radar, normally when there is a contract issue, the issue will become fairly apparent. There will usually be rumors about it, specific to the contract. Those rumors could pop up at some point, but until then, they're not out there.
Of course, what reason would Davis have for giving up the $200,000 workout bonus? Well, he is generally a busy guy, with all sorts of off-field pursuits. It is possible he is dealing with some of that and training on his own. He is involved in a training facility called D1 that is opening up in Northern Virginia at some point this year. Maybe he's dealing with that. I really have no idea.
Although it seems odds to give up $200,000 to stay away from Santa Clara, he would not be the first person to do that for non-holdout reasons. Last year, Tarell Brown stayed home and did not collect on his $75,000 workout bonus. He had the bigger issue with the $2 million de-escalator he did not know about, but all indications are that he did know about the $75,000 bonus and simply preferred his workout options in Texas.
We'll really find out more about Davis and Boone's situations when mandatory minicamp rolls around June 17-19. I'll actually be in Santa Clara for those three days, so I'll get a chance to find out first hand what's what. In the meantime, we'll just have to wait and see if any information leaks out. If this is going to end up being a contract holdout, odds are pretty good some kind of information slips out there between now and the mandatory minicamp.