It's a good thing Vernon Davis retried when he did ... because the ex-NFL star says he probably would've sat out this season over COVID concerns.
Davis -- who spent 14 seasons in the league -- hung up his cleats for good back in February, right before COVID exploded into a giant problem in the U.S.
Now that he's seen the pandemic play out, Davis tells TMZ Sports he would be "totally concerned" if he was still on a team and expected to play on Sundays.
"I would be totally concerned because I worry about my family," Davis said .