I know we should just ignore Anthony Davis as long as he remains retired, but this tweet cracked me up. And he actually has not deleted it as of publishing this article. Consider he normally deletes any 49ers-related tweets fairly quickly, that’s a minor miracle. Nonetheless, I’ve taken a screenshot of the tweet in case he does end up deleting it. You can also view the tweet here.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/6665257/Screen%20Shot%202016-06-17%20at%208.12.50%20AM.png)
I have no idea where any of this is going, but Anthony Davis seems inclined to string it along for at least a little while longer. I suppose we’ll get some kind of answer on where things stand by the start of training camp. If he has not filed his reinstatement paperwork by the first week of training camp, I would think it’s safe to assume he won’t be returning, at least to the 49ers.
It remains a complicated process regarding any potential return to the 49ers. The 49ers recovered $3.37 million in signing bonus proration for his missed 2015 season, according to Pro Football Talk. If Davis returns, the 49ers would pay him his 2015 salary because his contract tolled in retirement. The question is whether or not they would need to pay him the prorated money. There does not seem to be a clear answer on that. Davis and the NFLPA likely would want to see that prorated money returned to Davis. If the 49ers think they don’t need to return it, a grievance would be filed and it would likely go to arbitration.
PFT does not see a clear rule statement on this issue. Ricky Williams retired from the Miami Dolphins in July 2004, and returned in July 2005. I’ve seen mention that he paid up a portion of his prorated signing bonus, but I cannot find specifics on how much and if any was returned when he was reinstated. It’s a very murky area of the labor agreement.