The San Francisco 49ers’ celebrated history has been littered with high-quality tight ends, but one has carved out a place in team history that puts him above the rest of that group.

We spoke with former 49ers tight end Vernon Davis who made it clear where he stands on the ‘best 49ers tight end of all time’ conversation. While Davis certainly belongs in the discussion after catching 441 passes for 5,640 yards and 55 touchdowns in 139 games across 10 seasons, he didn’t put himself at the top of the list. That honor belongs to their most recent superstar at the position.

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“George Kittle,” Davis answered quickly when asked who stands atop a ranking of all-time 49ers tight ends.

It’s probably the correct answer at this point since Kittle is in Year 9 and became the third player in team history to eclipse 500 receptions and 50 touchdowns. He’s yet to catch Davis in the TD department with 50 to Davis’s 55, but he clears the former No. 6 overall pick in every other category thanks in part to a much more competent offense than the ones Davis spent a large portion of his 49ers tenure playing in.

While Davis did put Kittle atop the 49ers’ all-time TE list, he didn’t put him atop the list of active tight ends.

“I really like that kid Brock Bowers over with the Raiders,” Davis said. “I had a chance to go see him play a couple weeks ago and he’s got it.”

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Bowers has only played in eight games this year thanks to a knee injury, but he’s still managed to churn out 45 catches for 510 yards and three touchdowns in an offense reminiscent of some of the ones Davis played on early in his career. The 2024 first-round pick for Las Vegas was a First-Team All-Pro as a rookie after hauling in 112 receptions for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns in his debut season.

Davis may not be at the top of the 49ers’ tight end pantheon anymore, but his place in 49ers history was cemented with his 10 years of excellent production and his game-winning touchdown catch in the all-time classic 2011 NFC divisional playoff game vs. the New Orleans Saints at Candlestick Park. If Kittle is first on the list, Davis is the clear-cut No. 2.

Now that he’s retired from outrunning every linebacker and safety the NFL could throw at him, Davis is working with Smirnoff for their “We Do Game Days” campaign. In a fun coincidence, he’s working on that project alongside George Kittle’s wife, Claire to provide behind-the-scenes gameday content.

“I’m doing some stuff on the sidelines,” Davis said. “I’m doing ‘Sideline Storylines’ with them. I have a chance to collaborate with some cool designers. We have three designers coming in who’re making some cool merch. Then there’s a sweepstakes to win some merch.”

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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Former 49ers TE Vernon Davis: George Kittle is best TE in team history