SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- From the moment he was selected by the San Francisco 49ers with the No. 6 overall pick of the 2006 draft, tight end Vernon Davis was a polarizing figure.
Blessed with the speed of a receiver and the build of a linebacker, Davis went from underachieving youngster famously booted off the field in the middle of a game by then-coach Mike Singletary to a devastating weapon with 13 touchdown catches in 2013 to an afterthought in the Niners' currently impotent offense.
Now, he's a memory, traded to the Denver Broncos along with a 2016 seventh-round draft pick for sixth-round picks in 2016 and 2017.
"It's a possibility, and there's nothing I could do about it," Davis said of growing trade rumors in the Niners' locker room following their 27-6 loss to the St. Louis Rams on Sunday.
"I'm always prepared for anything; nothing surprises me."
What surprised Niners fans, though, was how quickly Davis fell out of favor in Santa Clara, going from a two-time Pro Bowler who caught 52 passes for 850 yards and 13 TDs in 2013 to a guy whose last touchdown reception came in the season opener ... of 2014.
Davis held out last summer, looking for a new contract after his monster season and, as he put it, listened to the wrong people, who advised him to look out more for his portfolio as an endorser and as a stock rather than his standing as a football player.
He seemingly started to "alligator-arm" balls in traffic, critics saying he would not fight for a pass and seemed to shy away from contact.
A recommitted Davis was with the Niners for the entire offseason workout program. It mattered little, as he missed two games with a sprained left knee and bone bruise and had just 18 catches, which still ranks second on the 49ers, for 194 yards, including a 43-yard reception.
But as the losses mounted for the currently 2-6 Niners, so too did the whisper campaign begin anew of a dysfunctional franchise. Reports surfaced of Davis "calling out" Colin Kaepernick in a team meeting, with left tackle Joe Staley jumping to the quarterback's defense and Davis and Staley getting into a verbal altercation that may have turned physical.
Davis denied it this past week, saying he did not recall any such encounter, while Staley acknowledged something went down on a local FM radio station but downplayed the incident.
With 441 catches for 5,640 yards and 55 touchdowns, Davis is the most prolific tight end in Niners franchise history. The trade leaves the 49ers with only two healthy tight ends in Vance McDonald and rookie Blake Bell, as Garrett Celek suffered a concussion on Sunday.
If Davis really was calling out Kaepernick, the team is now rid of him. Or, to look at it from a different perspective, Davis is now rid of the Niners.