Report: 49ers put Vernon Davis on the trade block

It's not too much of a secret that the San Francisco 49ers are likely going to be looking to sell off some veterans prior to the trade deadline late this month. It's also not a secret that tight end Vernon Davis has struggled a great deal over the past season-plus.

So it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that the former Pro Bowler has reportedly been put up on the auctioning block by San Francisco.

"Here's a name to keep in mind: Vernon Davis, the 49ers tight end. Again, a team that needs tight end help can inquire. The issue is price and production," ESPN's Adam Schefter said on Monday, via Niners Nation. "The salary's high, production low. And that's usually why a player's available, because he's not producing for a team the way they would like."

After a semi-strong start to the season, the 31-year-old Davis has missed each of the past two games with a knee injury. In the game immediately prior to his injury, Davis caught zero passes on two targets against the Arizona Cardinals. This came on the heels of him tallying eight catches on 13 targets in the first two outings of the season.

A couple years removed from being a viable top-end tight end in the NFL, Davis is coming off a disastrous 2014 campaign that saw him put up just 26 catches for 245 yards. Davis' best all-around season to date came back in 2013 when he put up 850 yards and 13 scores.

At 32 and without much recent success, San Francisco can't expect to get much for Davis on the trade block. Though, his athleticism and ability to stretch the field could come in handy for a few contending teams out there. It also helps that Davis is in the final year of a contract that pays him a bit less than $7 million.

Among contending teams that could use a tight end threat, the Green Bay Packers and Atlanta Falcons come to mind first. In fact, it wouldn't be a huge surprise to see Green Bay look to team Davis up with Aaron Rodgers.

As it relates to San Francisco, this is a team that should be looking to the future — a future that obviously doesn't include Davis. At 1-4 on the season and losers of four consecutive, the 49ers are completely out of the playoff mix. In this, Davis' name likely won't be the only one bandied about moving forward.

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