WASHINGTON — Redskins tight end Vernon Davis deserves a lot of love.
Vernon Davis is 35 years old.
That’s not young by NFL standards.
This is Vernon’s 14th season in the league.
Coming into training camp, the veteran tight end wasn’t taking his spot on the roster for granted.
“I tell everybody since I’ve been in the NFL, I’ve always kept in the back of my mind that I have to come out and work, I have to perform,” says Vernon Davis. “Because I might not be here. I might come in next week, or this week, and I might be gone.”
Despite the age and younger players trying to take his spot on the team, the DC native still made the Redskins’ 53-man roster.
This is impressive when you consider the fact that statistically, an average NFL career only last three years.
Vernon’s has outlasted the league average by 11 years!
If you look even deeper, more than one million high school athletes play football according to the NFL.
According to the NCAA, approximately 7.1% of those who played football in high school go on to play football in the NCAA.
Of those, only 1.6% go on to play professional football.
Vernon Davis has defied those odds for 14 years.
Not only is Davis defying the odds, he continues to show he belongs in the NFL.
In the Redskins season opener, Vernon Davis was the team’s third leading receiver.
But it was his 48-yard touchdown reception where he hurdled an Eagles player that showed everyone that the 35-year-old still has it.
That's why the Redskins tight end, former Maryland Terrapin, and DC native deserves some love.