The San Francisco 49ers find themselves in a bind with arguably their best deep threat receiver, as tight end Vernon Davis has been a no-show thus far for the team. Davis strongly believes he has outplayed his contract that he signed back in 2010, and wants a new deal.

Davis signed a 6-year, $42.7 million contract that included $23 million in guaranteed money. He has two years remaining on his deal, which will pay him $4.7 million in 2014 and $4.35 million in 2015. After that, Davis is set to become an unrestricted costless agent.

Davis believes he does more than just catch passes for the 49ers. Prior to quarterback Colin Kaepernick taking control of the offense, Davis hardly got the ball down-field from quarterback Alex Smith. This hugely impacted Davis’s stats since 2010. On top of that, he was asked to block continuously for the run game and constantly drew double teams when receiver Michael Crabtree went down with his injuries. However, the last three seasons, he has come on strong – especially in the red zone.

Davis wants to be paid like a wide receiver and has a close eye on wide receiver Jimmy Graham’s arbitration battle with the New Orleans Saints. Graham feels that he should be paid as a wide receiver, considering he takes a ton of snaps at the position. According to Pro Football Focus, Graham lined up 66.6% of the time as a wide receiver.

However, Davis does not have a legitimate argument. Davis has lined up at the tight end position 64.5% of the time during the 2013 NFL season. The numbers are in favor for Graham, but definitely not Davis.

Head coach Jim Harbaugh is not too thrilled with the way Davis has handled this situation. The 49ers run a tight ship in San Francisco and as Kaepernick would put it, “If intimidation is your game plan, then you need a better one.” Certainly, Davis needs a better plan in this situation.

If this continues deep into training camp, some believe that Davis will be made available for trade. If that indeed does occur, look for San Francisco to play a lot of three or four wide receiver sets, especially since Crabtree, Anquan Boldin, Steve Johnson, Brandon Lloyd and Bruce Ellington all have big play capabilities.

The best approach for Davis in this scenario is to come to camp and play out his final two years with the 49ers. If he chooses not to, this will become a very intriguing situation. The 49ers hold most of the leverage in this situation, making many believe that Davis will eventually make his way to camp. Most notably, once the fines start coming.

If the fines do not phase him, then what type of demand would Davis have on the trading block? He is the main catapult to this offense. He opens up the run game and draws an additional safety in coverage usually. He is obviously an important part of the 49ers’ offense, and it will be interesting to see how the organization values him. 

Davis’ main goal is to build his brand. There is no better way to do that than by playing for a Super Bowl contender. He should be in a 49ers uniform this year -- but there are no guarantees. The Bay Area has officially been put on notice.