The trade that sends Vernon Davis to the Denver Broncos gives him a reason to play again, something to look forward to. On the San Francisco 49ers? It was pretty much about trying to avoid amassing too many defeats.

Davis had a few years of winning, even if it wasn’t with the numbers he could have produced. The arrival of Jim Harbaugh at San Francisco meant aspirations, and especially wins, for a franchise that had gone almost a decade without those. The change from Alex Smith to Colin Kaepernick at quarterback meant Davis wasn’t getting the kind of looks and passes he was in the past, but as long as the team was winning, he was fine with it.

But after getting used to conference championship games and even one Super Bowl appearance, everything fell apart. An 8-8 season followed by Harbaugh leaving and the disaster that is 2015: A 2-6 record, Kaepernick benched for Blaine Gabbert so he can step away and relax for one week, and the overall pessimism about the future of this franchise while Jed York is running things from above.

Then comes the trade to Denver. Not just getting away from San Francisco, but joining an undefeated team, one of the remaining four in the league. Super Bowl contenders again. While it’s still unclear how much of a role Davis will play on a struggling offense, it’s safe to say he’s quite happy about being far away from Levi’s Stadium.

I know what it feels like to win and to be on a team that has that winning spirit. Not too long ago we were able to win some games, and I still feel that, I can feel it a little bit. I just have to get acclimated to it again because it seems like it’s been so long. But I can imagine that it’s intense, it’s exciting, everyone is playing together as one, and there’s a lot of love.

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