Vernon Davis is launching a podcast.
The former NFL tight end announced The Next Role with Vernon Davis on Wednesday, according to Deadline, a weekly series in which he’ll interview sports stars and celebrities about their career transitions and reinventions. The show debuts Thursday with Delanie Walker as the first guest.
Future episodes will feature Jerry Rice, Danny Trejo, Rickey Smiley, Keith David, DeVon Franklin, Jeff Ross, and Eugena Washington. The podcast will be distributed through the Cumulus Podcast Network under its Westwood One portfolio.
Davis retired from the NFL in 2020 after 14 seasons. He won a Super Bowl with Denver in 2015, made two Pro Bowls with San Francisco, and caught 583 passes for 7,562 yards and 63 touchdowns across his career.
He’s spent the past four years building an entertainment career. Davis has credits in over a dozen films and TV projects, including Morgan Freeman’s “The Ritual Killer” and Jon Heder’s “Plan B.” He founded two production companies, Reel 85 and Between the Linez Productions.
“This is more than a podcast—it’s a movement,” Davis said in a statement. “I created this show to highlight the courage it takes to reinvent yourself, especially after a career in the spotlight.”
The podcast follows Davis’ recent debut in Match Point, a mockumentary about two ex-tennis players launching a podcast. Davis starred alongside former Broncos teammate Omar Bolden in the series, which premiered on Apple TV+ and Amazon Prime Video in February.
Davis has been chasing Hollywood for over a decade. Back in 2014, while still playing for the 49ers, he starred in “Captain Torpedo,” a superhero comedy short that made the finals of HBO’s Project Greenlight competition. He played a hero who could “do anything in water” and whose main weakness was seaweed.
The Next Role premieres Thursday on the Cumulus Podcast Network.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.