5 former San Francisco 49ers who could come out of retirement to play

Former 49ers No. 3: Tight End Vernon Davis

While he’ll soon be usurped by the 49ers’ up-and-coming superstar, George Kittle, Vernon Davis remains the best tight end in franchise history.

For now, at least.

Davis’ 5,640 receiving yards still ranks best at the position in the Niners’ history books. And like Kittle, there’s no shortage of binge-watching highlights from Davis’ career donning the red and gold.

Heck, Kittle’s regular-season three-New Orleans Saints-players-dragging reception was legendary. But so was the “Vernon Post” when the 49ers and Saints squared off in the 2012 divisional round of the playoffs.

Maybe the Saints shouldn’t like San Francisco’s tight ends.

At any rate, the Niners spent the offseason exploring complementary tight end options to pair with Kittle in 2020. And while the lone pickup ended up being Georgia’s Charlie Woerner in the NFL Draft, one can only think what kind of pass-catching tandem could be generated if a still-in-his-prime Davis would be paired with Kittle on the field.

The rest of the NFL, not just the Saints, would be oh-so fearful of that.