Photo credit: Ezra Shaw/ Getty Images

San Francisco 49ers OT Anthony Davis abruptly retired from the NFL on Monday. It is Davis’s second retirement; he previously retired ahead of the 2015 season.


In June 2015, he said he was taking at least a year off to “allow my Brain and Body a chance to heal.” Davis was reinstated by the NFL in June 2016.

Two days before the 49ers’ first game of the season—a Monday night game against the Rams—Davis did not practice with the team, prompting rumors that he might retire. Davis’s issue was reportedly over being moved from right tackle to guard. Davis did not retire, opting instead to take the role of backup right tackle with the flexibility to play guard if needed.


Davis played 3 snaps against the Rams. He was listed as out for Weeks 2 and 3 with a concussion he apparently sustained during a team practice following Week 1.

The 49ers’ statement on their on-again off-again lineman was short:

“Offensive lineman Anthony Davis informed the team that he has retired from the National Football League.”

Davis laid out his reasoning for stepping away from football: