Another one bites the dust.
In what has been the offseason from hell, the San Francisco 49ers have lost yet another player to early retirement; and I’m talking, like very early retirement. RT Anthony Davis announced last week that at the age of 25, he will be retiring and taking some time to “allow [his] brain and his body time to heal.”
Last season Davis had his first concussion, and, at the time, Davis said, “It’s scary when your brain is not working how it’s supposed to,” Davis said, “and the culture of this league is, ‘You’re a big, tough guy.’” Obviously, the experience scared him and had a profound effect on him, and I can’t say I blame him.
Davis joins former teammates Patrick Willis, Chris Borland and Justin Smith, as one of four 49ers to retire this offseason. Justin Smith’s retirement was more or less expected but the losses of Patrick Willis and Chris Borland certainly were not.
Is this all a coincidence? Honestly, yes, I think it is. I really don’t believe there’s some crazy retirement conspiracy going on. This is football, and it’s tough on the body. It is possible that Davis looked at the decision his former teammates made and it factored in, but beyond that it’s just a few very, very unfortunate coincidences.
So, we look forward, and the 49ers are going to be just fine at RT. When minicamp started yesterday, offseason acquisition Erik Pears was the starting at the position, but Alex Boone and Trent Brown will compete for the spot as well. Fun fact, Boone has been looking for a contract extension and pay raise for some time now. As he enters the last year of his contract with the Niners, a position switch from Guard to Tackle could be the thing that makes his financial dreams come true. So there’s that.
Other Niners News Bites:
-Veteran punter Andy Lee was traded to the Cleveland Browns last Saturday. Lee had been excellent in his 11 years with the 49ers, causing many fans to be both shocked and angry. He counted for a couple million against the salary cap, and San Francisco took punter Bradley Pinion in the 5th Round of the draft. I’m pretty sure that was the beginning of the end of Lee’s tenures with the Niners. I hate to say it, but at the end of the day, it’s not show friends, it’s show business. Thank you for everything Andy Lee. Your punts were the cause of many a high five from this fan!
–Darnell Dockett and Alex Boone have not been the best of friends, but now that they’re teammates, they seem to have moved on. As reported by Cam Inman, Dockett said, “With all the battles me and Boone had, today was our first day speaking. It was kind of awkward. We passed each other like seven times before we spoke. I asked him if he was retiring. He said, ‘No.’ So we’re good. We’re all on the same page. That’s how you build chemistry.” I appreciate Dockett’s sense of humor.
Go Niners!