Numerous sources are reporting the 49ers have signed tight end Vernon Davis to the largest contract ever for a tight end. According to Adam Schefter, the deal is a five year extension worth $37 million total, and includes $23 million in guaranteed money. Thanks to the folks who posted FanShots on this, but obviously this is worth its own front pag epost.

There had been a lot of discussion about getting a deal done so this isn't exactly a surprising deal. Generally I am happy with the deal because Davis is as talented as any tight end in the NFL. He still has to prove he can consistently produce year in and year out, but there is no doubting the talent he possesses. More importantly, this past season saw him step into a leadership role that we can credit in large part to the role of Mike Singletary in Davis' career.

We still need to see Vernon Davis produce like this year in and year out, which makes this a sort of calculated gamble. I'm not concerned about that but it's certainly something to keep in mind.

Whatever the case, the 49ers have locked up two of their biggest weapons (Davis and Patrick Willis) amidst the labor uncertainty. Now the team finds itself locked and loaded to take care of business in 2010.