Vernon Davis built his name as a fast, powerful NFL tight end before moving into acting, production and business. He played 14 seasons with San Francisco, Denver and Washington, won Super Bowl 50 with the Broncos, and retired in February 2020. Vernon Davis net worth is often estimated at $16 million, while his recorded NFL earnings are a separate and much larger figure.
| Name: | Vernon Leonard Davis |
|---|---|
| Profession: | Former NFL tight end, actor, producer and entrepreneur |
| Birth / Age: | January 31, 1984; 42 years old as of November 6, 2026 |
| Height: | 6 feet 3 inches (about 1.91 m) |
| Listed playing weight: | 248 pounds in NFL roster listings; some contract databases list 250 pounds |
| Jersey Numbers: | 85 and 80 |
| Position: | Tight end |
| NFL career: | 2006–2019; retirement announced February 2, 2020 |
Vernon Davis Net Worth: How Much Is He Worth?
Celebrity Net Worth publishes an estimate of $16 million. That is an estimate of personal wealth, not a statement released by Davis or a verified total of his assets minus liabilities.
The distinction matters because Vernon Davis net worth is sometimes confused with football earnings. Over The Cap records $79,468,750 in career NFL earnings. Those are historical gross receipts over his playing career, before personal taxes, agent fees, living costs and other expenses. They are not a current bank balance.
There is also no reliable basis for describing $5 million as his present annual NFL salary. That figure was the average annual headline value of his three-year Washington contract signed in 2017. He no longer plays in the league. His private earnings from film work, investments and other business activities have not been fully disclosed.
Career Earnings History:
The following table uses Over The Cap’s reported cash figures. The “other cash” column is calculated as total cash minus listed base pay; it brings together bonuses and other cash adjustments rather than treating prorated salary-cap charges as new income.
| Year | Team | Base pay | Other cash | Total cash |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 49ers | $275,000 | $5,560,000 | $5,835,000 |
| 2007 | 49ers | $360,000 | $9,460,000 | $9,820,000 |
| 2008 | 49ers | $900,000 | $100,000 | $1,000,000 |
| 2009 | 49ers | $2,440,000 | $100,000 | $2,540,000 |
| 2010 | 49ers | $3,874,000 | $10,100,000 | $13,974,000 |
| 2011 | 49ers | $4,708,000 | $600,000 | $5,308,000 |
| 2012 | 49ers | $4,271,000 | $2,080,000 | $6,351,000 |
| 2013 | 49ers | $6,072,000 | $575,000 | $6,647,000 |
| 2014 | 49ers | $4,700,000 | $550,000 | $5,250,000 |
| 2015 | 49ers | $2,047,059 | $350,000 | $2,397,059 |
| 2015 | Broncos | $2,302,941 | $225,000 | $2,527,941 |
| 2016 | Washington | $1,350,000 | $1,550,000 | $2,900,000 |
| 2017 | Washington | $2,000,000 | $4,000,000 | $6,000,000 |
| 2018 | Washington | $3,750,000 | $218,750 | $3,968,750 |
| 2019 | Washington | $4,700,000 | $250,000 | $4,950,000 |
| Reported career NFL cash earnings | $79,468,750 | |||
Davis changed teams during 2015, so that season has two rows. Its base pay is allocated between San Francisco and Denver from the $4.35 million annual base, rounded to whole dollars. The 49ers cash appears in the database’s separate 2015 dead-money history and is included here once.
His contracts used several forms of compensation: base salary, signing and option bonuses, roster and workout bonuses, incentives and restructure payments. A bonus can be paid in one year while being spread across several years for salary-cap accounting. Adding the cap charges to cash payments would count some money twice.
A large example was his 2010 extension: a five-year, $36.75 million headline agreement, including a $10 million signing bonus. Washington later signed him to a three-year, $15 million contract in 2017. Contract value describes an agreement; cash earnings describe payments; Vernon Davis net worth describes estimated wealth after liabilities.
Vernon Davis Full Biography: Personal and Professional Life
Vernon Davis was born on January 31, 1984, in Washington, D.C. His parents are Duke Davis and Jacqueline Davis. He grew up with siblings including his brothers Vontae and Michael, and his grandmother Adaline played a central role in raising the family.
His younger brother Vontae also became an NFL player, appearing at cornerback for Miami, Indianapolis and Buffalo. Vontae died on April 1, 2024, aged 35. Vernon later spoke publicly about the loss. Their cousin Javaris Davis also pursued professional football after playing at Auburn.
School and College
Davis attended Dunbar High School in Washington before playing for the University of Maryland from 2003 through 2005. His combination of speed, strength and receiving ability made him an unusually difficult tight end to cover.
Maryland records 83 career receptions and a team-leading 871 receiving yards in 2005. He earned first-team All-ACC recognition, major first-team All-America honors and the team’s MVP award that season. He left for the 2006 NFL Draft after his junior year. Maryland inducted him into its athletics Hall of Fame in 2022.
NFL Teams and Retirement
The San Francisco 49ers selected Davis sixth overall in the first round of the 2006 draft. He remained with the franchise until a midseason trade to Denver in November 2015. The move gave him the opportunity to finish that season with the eventual Super Bowl 50 champions.
He then played four seasons for Washington, from 2016 through 2019. The team was called the Washington Redskins during those seasons and is now the Commanders. Washington was his final NFL team, not the team for his entire career.
His last playing season was 2019, and he announced his retirement on February 2, 2020. Across his career he wore number 85, with number 80 during his Denver spell.
Career Stats and Honors
His regular-season receiving totals were 583 catches for 7,562 yards and 63 touchdowns across 198 games, averaging 13.0 yards per reception.
| Games: | 198 |
|---|---|
| Receptions: | 583 |
| Receiving yards: | 7,562 |
| Yards per reception: | 13.0 |
| Receiving touchdowns: | 63 |
| Approximate Value (AV): | 66 in Pro Football Reference’s career summary |
| Fantasy points: | 1,125.7 under Pro Football Reference’s scoring system |
AV means Approximate Value, not an average of receptions or yards. Fantasy totals depend on the scoring system; neither figure measures salary or wealth.
He earned Pro Bowl selections in 2009 and 2013 and second-team All-Pro recognition in 2013. His 13 receiving touchdowns in 2009 tied for the NFL lead. He matched that touchdown total in 2013 and became a Super Bowl champion with Denver following the 2015 season.
Davis also produced memorable postseason plays for San Francisco, including the late winning touchdown catch against New Orleans in January 2012. His ability to run past defenders gave the 49ers a scoring threat down the middle of the field as well as a traditional tight end.
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Wife and Children
Davis has three children with his former partner Janel Horne. His publicly identified children include son Jianni and daughter Valleigh. He has discussed fatherhood in team interviews, including watching Jianni grow during his early NFL seasons.
He publicly proposed to Kayla in Ocean City, Maryland, in July 2018, using skydivers to help deliver the marriage proposal. That engagement is documented, but it should not be treated as confirmation of a current marriage. A reliable current marital status has not been established publicly.
What Does Vernon Davis Do After Football?
Acting and film production are now prominent parts of his public career. His official website identifies two production companies, Reel 85 and Between the Linez, and describes projects alongside actors including Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich and Bruce Willis. His memoir is titled Playing Ball: Life Lessons from My Journey to the Super Bowl and Beyond.
His publicly listed business ventures include Jamba Juice franchises, consumer-brand interests and involvement with DC Power Football Club. These activities show the range of his post-football work, but the website does not disclose the value of his ownership stakes or annual profits.
Retirement has led NFL players in different directions. Aeneas Williams’s life after football, for example, centers on ministry, while Davis has pursued entertainment and entrepreneurship. His own charitable work also reflects a long-standing interest in helping young people access education and the arts.
The useful way to read Vernon Davis net worth is to keep those different measures separate. His NFL cash history is documented by contract databases. The $16 million personal-wealth figure is an estimate. His current film and business income remains private, so a fixed present-day salary or invented yearly increase would be misleading.
