Richard Sherman - Pro Football Rumors

NFC West Rumors: Marshall, 49ers, Sherman

June 17th, 2018 at 2:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Seahawks signed Brandon Marshall only two weeks before their minicamp, but they will have to wait until training camp to see how much the 34-year-old wide receiver has left. Due to a hamstring injury, Marshall did not participate in any team drills at the remaining Seattle OTA sessions nor at the team’s minicamp. Marshall was already coming off an injury, with his 2017 season ending early thanks to ankle surgery, but Pete Carroll said the 13th-year pass-catcher should be ready to go by the time the team reconvenes for training camp.

“We’re just making sure that we don’t have a setback on a hamstring that’s recovering,” Carroll said, via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. “We talked about it today – he’s got a solid six weeks; he’ll be well. We need to do a really good job as we re-introduce him back into our tempo and speed and all that, that we don’t overdo it early in the excitement to see what he can do and all.”

Marshall only signed for one year and $1.1MM. Although plenty of incentives are included, only $90K of that pact is guaranteed.

Here’s what’s new out of the NFC West on Sunday afternoon.

49ers cornerback Richard Sherman said he experienced Achilles issues during his final offseason workouts with the Seahawks, and the problem worsened in last year’s training camp. Once the regular season began, Sherman said he knew this was a significant issue. “We just kind of babied it as long as we could,” Sherman said, via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. “But you can’t baby it in a game.” The eighth-year corner did not participate in team drills yet with the 49ers but is expected to in camp.
Laken Tomlinson has the left guard spot secured, but the 49ers look to have a three-man competition going for their right guard position. And thus far, 2016 first-round pick Joshua Garnett has seen the most time there, per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. Garnett, who spent all of last season on IR in a partial effort to adjust his body to better suit Kyle Shanahan‘s zone-blocking scheme, split time with the recently signed Mike Person. However, Jonathan Cooper did not participate in San Francisco’s minicamp because of left knee surgery and will be a threat to start opposite Tomlinson this season.
Second-year San Francisco slot receiver Trent Taylor is recovering from back surgery, Branch notes. He underwent the procedure several weeks ago to remove bone spurs, per Branch, but Shanahan expects him back by camp.
While Josh Rosen is the Cardinals’ quarterback of the future, it doesn’t appear likely he’ll play ahead of Sam Bradford to start this season.

Extra Points: Sherman, 49ers, Talib, 49ers, Bucs, Greco

March 12th, 2018 at 2:17pm CST by Zachary Links

Richard Sherman has taken some flack for his one-year deal with the 49ers, but he has no regrets about acting as his own agent.

“I don’t think any agent in the business could have done a better job of negotiating this contract,” Sherman told Peter King of The MMQB. “As long as I’m content with what I’m making, nothing else matters to me. Once I make a Pro Bowl, $8MM the next year is guaranteed for me. It gives me the ability to control my destiny. The 49ers have skin in the game. I have skin in the game. In my former contract, no matter what I did this year, nothing would be guaranteed to me next year. I couldn’t feel secure in my contract. Now, if I play the way I know I’m capable of playing, I know I’m going to get paid.”

Sherman’s deal is a three-year, $39MM pact, but a deeper look shows that the real base value is just $21.15MM with another $18MM coming in the form of bonuses. In order to earn the full $39MM, Sherman must play in every regular season game, be on the field for 90% of snaps, and earn Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors in each season. In other words, it’s unlikely that Sherman will actually see the full value of the deal. Still, Sherman is content with how things played out and intimated that he wanted the opportunity to face his old team twice per year.

Mike Klis of 9News in Denver (on Twitter) had more on the 49ers’ proposed trade for cornerback Aqib Talib from the Broncos, which Talib rejected. The 49ers were going to send a fourth-round pick in the 2019 draft in exchange for the services of the five-time Pro Bowler. In the end, the Broncos traded Talib to the Rams for a fifth-round pick in the 2018 draft.
The Buccanneers looked to shore up their kicking woes of late by attempting to land former Florida State kicker Dustin Hopkins before he re-signed with the Redskins, according to ESPN’s Jenna Laine. The Bucs cut former second-round pick Roberto Aguayo prior to last season and Nick Folk was cut last month after missing a majority of last season on injured reserve with a minor-injury designation. Free-agent addition Patrick Murray hit 82.6% of his kicks with Tampa Bay last year in 23 attempts, with a long of 50 yards.
The Giants and offensive lineman John Greco agreed to a one-year deal last month and Ralph Vacchiano of SNY (on Twitter) that his salary for 2018 will be $1.02MM. Greco appeared in six games for the Giants last season after spending the previous six seasons as a mainstay within the interior of the Browns’ offensive line.

Details On Richard Sherman’s New Contract

March 11th, 2018 at 9:53pm CST by Ben Levine

When Richard Sherman first inked his contract with the 49ers, it was reported that the new deal was for three years and $39MM. ProFootballTalk.com’s Mike Florio was skeptical of these numbers, and he confirmed the true details of the cornerback’s contract tonight.

Ultimately, the full base value of the deal is $21.15MM, with another $18MM worth of “per-game roster bonuses, annual 90-percent playing-time incentives, an annual Pro Bowl incentive, and an annual All-Pro incentive.” If the veteran were to earn the full $39MM, he’d have to “play all 48 regular-season games over the next three years, be on the field for at least 90 percent of the snaps, make it to the Pro Bowl every year, and qualify for the All-Pro team every year.” In other words, it’s unlikely that Sherman will ever see the full value of the contract.

Florio also notes that at the time of signing, only $3MM of the deal is guaranteed. If Sherman passes his preseason physical, he’ll earn another $4MM in guaranteed money. However, after that, it’s ultimately up to the 49ers whether the contract will continue through 2019 and beyond. The writer has a list of specific details on the contract. Notably, Sherman’s signing bonus is worth $3MM (as opposed to the $5MM that had previously been floated around). His base salary for 2018 is $2MM, and this is boosted to $7MM in 2019.

After being released by the Seahawks on Friday, Sherman inked a three-year deal with their division rivals on Saturday. The veteran is still rehabbing from surgery to fix a torn Achilles, but he expects to be ready by June. The three-time First-Team All-Pro was relatively productive in nine games last season, compiling 35 tackles, two interceptions, and seven passes defended.

Lions Were Very Interested In Richard Sherman

March 11th, 2018 at 12:44pm CST by Rory Parks

Richard Sherman has dominated headlines over the past few days, and just yesterday, the former Seahawks star cut short what might have been a lengthy free agency tour by signing a three-year pact with the 49ers.

Earlier today, we learned that the Patriots did not reach out to Sherman before he agreed to sign with San Francisco, though New England was a team that Sherman indicated he would be interested in joining. The Lions were the only team other than the 49ers that Sherman had scheduled a visit with, and per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Detroit’s interest in the Stanford product was significant.

Citing a league source, Florio says the Lions were “strongly motivated” to pursue Sherman, and some believe that Sherman should have at least visited the Motor City if for no other reason than to leverage the 49ers into a better contract (as Florio pointed out in a separate piece, Sherman’s self-negotiated contract with the 49ers does not look especially player-friendly).

However, the 49ers may have told Sherman that if he left San Francisco without signing, then they would have pulled their offer entirely. As such, it seems that Sherman elected to take a sure thing rather than risk losing a contract that, in theory, could pay him $13MM per year. Of course, his joining the 49ers also includes the opportunity to torment his old team two times a year, and Florio suggests that could have played a role in his decision.

Florio also opines that Sherman could have landed a better deal by waiting until teams that hope to secure a starting-caliber cornerback in free agency failed to do so, or until after the draft had concluded, and that perhaps a one-year “prove it” contract might have been a better option. In any event, Florio believes the speed with which events unfolded suggests that Sherman did not do as well for himself as he could have.

Of course, it’s easy to second-guess a contract that a player negotiates without an agent, and only time will tell if Sherman acted too hastily. The Lions, meanwhile, will have to look elsewhere to upgrade their CB corps.

NFC Notes: Sherman, Lions, Redskins, Bucs

March 11th, 2018 at 9:40am CST by Ben Levine

Richard Sherman‘s contract with the 49ers is not yet official, reports Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area (via Twitter). The reporter doesn’t anticipate any issues with the deal, but since Sherman is acting as his own agent, Maiocco expects the NFLPA “to spend a lot of time” going over the details of the contract.

Meanwhile, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com believes that details of the reported three-year, $39MM deal are a “mirage.” Most of the incentives and specifics of the contract were reported yesterday, but Florio is under the impression that the deal will ultimately come in at a much lower total. The writer notes that Sherman can only make $13MM next season if he “dresses for all 16 regular-season games, achieves the total playing-time threshold, and make it to the NFC Pro Bowl team (or, possibly, the AP All-Pro team).”

Let’s take a look at some other notes out of the NFC…

If a top-tier quarterback were to fall to the second round, ESPN.com’s John Keim is uncertain if the Redskins would use a pick on a future starter. The writer notes that the team is set to have Alex Smith under contract for at least three seasons, and Colt McCoy will still be around in 2018. Generally, head coach Jay Gruden has preferred to keep only two signal-callers on his roster. However, if someone like Lamar Jackson were to fall to pick number-44, Keim could see the Redskins trying to convince the quarterback to develop into a multi-purpose weapon for the time being.
If the Lions don’t envision tight end Eric Ebron being in their future plans, ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein believes it makes sense for the organization to get something for the player via trade. However, if the team plans to trade Ebron and replace him with someone like Jimmy Graham, Rothstein doesn’t understand the logic. The two tight ends put up similar numbers in 2017, and Graham is seven years older than Ebron. Ultimately, the writer doesn’t believe a player like Graham would provide a massive upgrade over Ebron.
The Lions do need an early-down running back, but Rothstein doesn’t believe veteran DeMarco Murray would be a good fit. The running back’s age and declining numbers make the writer wary, and he anticipates the Pro Bowler would earn more than his fellow free agents. Plus, Rothstein points out that there are younger, more intriguing options available via free agency.
With $28MM in cap space and six key contributors heading to free agency, the Lions will look the revamp their defense this offseason, writes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Detroit could conceivably be eyeing holes on every unit of their defense, including defensive line, linebacker, and defensive back. “From a needs standpoint, we’re going to make sure obviously we have enough competition in all the situations and you want to have good competition, the best competition you can possibly get,” head coach Matt Patricia said of his team’s offseason approach. “So you’re never going to really try to pass up an opportunity for a good player on your team, and whether that puts someone else that’s maybe a good player on your team in a hard spot or a competitive situation, then that’s probably good for you. So that’s what we’re going to do as we go through.” The Lions are apparently already looking to make some moves, as the team is set to meet with cornerback DeShawn Shead this week.
The Buccaneers want Brent Grimes back next season, reports Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). Of course, as the reporter notes, the veteran’s return will depend on the offer. The 34-year-old spent the past two seasons in Tampa Bay, compiling seven interceptions in 29 games.

Patriots Never Reached Out To Sherman

March 11th, 2018 at 8:20am CST by Ben Levine

We heard earlier this month that cornerback Richard Sherman would have been receptive to joining the Patriots. However, as Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald points out (via Twitter), New England never reached out to the free agent before he ultimately signed with the 49ers. The reporter notes that the veteran defensive back “wants to play with Tom Brady,” and his interest in the organization “has been real.”

After having played just one special teams snap in the Super Bowl, it looks like Malcolm Butler‘s tenure in New England is essentially over. Therefore, unless the Patriots are willing to roll with one of their younger options opposite Stephon Gilmore, it makes sense that they’d be hunting for a veteran defensive back. As things currently stand, New England would be eyeing one of Jonathan Jones, Eric Rowe, Cyrus Jones, Jomal Wiltz, or Ryan Lewis as a starter.

After being released by the Seahawks on Friday, Sherman inked a three-year deal with their division rivals on Saturday. The veteran is still rehabbing from surgery to fix a torn Achilles, but he expects to be ready by June. The three-time First-Team All-Pro was relatively productive in nine games last season, compiling 35 tackles, two interceptions, and seven passes defended.

Receiver Notes: Landry, Dez, A-Rob, Evans

March 10th, 2018 at 10:06pm CST by Micah Powell

No players have dominated the news more in the last two days than Jarvis Landry and Richard Sherman. On Friday, the Browns kicked off their trading spree by landing the Dolphins wideout in a deal for draft picks. Earlier in the day, Sherman was released from the Seahawks and then signed with the division-rival 49ers Saturday Night.

The two possibly could have been connected on the transaction wire earlier in the 2017 season if a blockbuster deal would have gone through. That’s according to CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora, who tweets that Seattle rejected a potential Landry-for-Sherman swap in 2017.

At the time of the proposed deal, presumably before the trade deadline, Sherman was healthy and the Seahawks were looking to advance to the postseason for the sixth consecutive. Trading away a key member of the secondary and an influential figure in the locker room doesn’t appear to make much sense.

Regardless, it is interesting both teams were looking to move on from their respective stars as early as October.

Here’s more receivers making news:

Before both of those deals went down, Mike Evans grabbed headlines by signing a five-year deal with the Buccaneers worth $82.5 MM. Breaking down the details, CBS Sports’ Joel Corry tweets the Bucs will $5 MM of salary cap space in 2018 and he now takes up $18.25 MM of cap room.
During a chat with the Dallas Morning News on Friday, Matt Mosley said his gut feeling is that Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant will be back in 2018. He said that could change if the team lands a receiver in the first round. Alabama’s Calvin Ridley, among others, could be on the board when the Cowboys pick at No. 19.
Though they didn’t place the franchise tag on him, the Jaguars do in fact like Allen Robinson and would like to have him back at the right price, general manager Dave Caldwell told Pro Football Talk. “At some point in time, just like other free agents, we’ve walked away. We don’t want to do that with Allen because he’s ours. We’ll see. We have a lot of options on the table with that.”

Richard Sherman Signs With 49ers

March 10th, 2018 at 6:53pm CST by Micah Powell

Well that didn’t take long. Just a day after being released from the Seahawks, Richard Sherman found a new home by signing a three-year deal with the 49ers, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported (Twitter link).

Sherman’s deal is worth $39 MM over three seasons, including a $5 MM signing bonus, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets.

NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets the deal includes a $2 MM base salary, $2 MM in 46-man roster bonuses, $1 MM playtime incentives and a $3 MM Pro Bowl incentive. He adds that if Sherman makes the Pro Bowl in 2018, another $16 MM in base salary for 2019-20 becomes guaranteed.

The veteran cornerback told ESPN’s Josina Anderson earlier in the day that he was discussing a deal with the Bay Area side (Twitter link). Less than an hour later, the deal was done.

Acting as his own agent, Sherman kicked off his 49ers tour with a dinner with head coach Kyle Shanahan on Friday night, and the sides took more formal steps on Saturday. Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee reports Sherman took a physical with the 49ers today and met with more team officials.

The results of the physical must have been good. The cornerback is currently rehabbing from a torn Achilles in one leg and had surgery to remove a bone spur in the other. Sherman tabbed June as a potential timeframe for when he can return to training.

Sherman reportedly had drawn interest from a number of teams and was even said to be scheduling a visit to meet with the Lions, but the 49ers didn’t let the star cornerback leave the room. He will now get to suit up for the team he tormented for seven seasons with its NFC West division foe. With the move, Sherman will also reunite with 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, who was a defensive assistant in Seattle from 2011-13.

One of the most decorated cornerback of the last decade, Sherman has earned four Pro Bowl selections and won a Super Bowl during his seven-year stay with the Seahawks. Since he entered the league in 2011, Sherman has recorded the most interceptions (32) in the NFL.

Sherman Discussing Three-Year Deal With 49ers

March 10th, 2018 at 6:03pm CST by Micah Powell

Richard Sherman‘s first meeting of free agency must have gone well. The veteran cornerback is discussing a potential three-year deal with the 49ers, ESPN’s Josina Anderson hears from Sherman (Twitter link).

At 7:30 P.M. EST, Fox Sports’ Peter Schrager also tweeted the Sherman was currently in a room with 49ers executives, including general manager John Lynch.

After being released from the Seahawks yesterday, Sherman scheduled a meeting with the 49ers for Friday night and met with team brass. Though it was reported the three-time First Team All-Pro was looking to set up a meeting with Detroit, it sounds like he might have to cancel those plans. This is not your typical rumor, also, since the reported source is Sherman himself.

Acting as his own agent, Sherman kicked off his 49ers tour with a dinner with head coach Kyle Shanahan on Friday night, and the sides took more formal steps on Saturday. Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee reports Sherman took a physical with the 49ers today and met with more team officials. The veteran cornerback is still rehabbing from an Achilles injury and a minor surgery to remove a bone spur. He has put his own timeline on when he expects to be back, penciling in a return to training in June.

One of the most decorated cornerback of the last decade, Sherman has earned four Pro Bowl selections and won a Super Bowl during his seven-year stay with the Seahawks. Since he entered the league in 2011, Sherman has recorded the most interceptions (32) in the NFL.

Nothing is official but it appears an agreement to keep Sherman in the NFC West could come down at any time.

West Notes: 49ers, Raiders, Richardson

March 10th, 2018 at 3:34pm CST by Sam Robinson

Richard Sherman‘s 49ers tour began with a dinner with Kyle Shanahan on Friday night, and the sides took more formal steps on Saturday. Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee reports Sherman took a physical with the 49ers today and met with more team officials. After undergoing Achilles surgery in November, Sherman underwent a procedure to remove a bone spur in his other heel last month. Barrows notes the soon-to-be 30-year-old cornerback plans to be running at full speed again at some point in April. Sherman plans to be ready to participate in training camp. Sherman may or may not have a Lions visit scheduled.

Here’s the latest from the West divisions as the legal tampering period looms in less than 48 hours.

Despite the 49ers pursuing Sherman, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com does not expect the team to go after Trumaine Johnson. He doesn’t expect the 28-year-old defender, and one who will command big money next week, to fit into the 49ers’ model of aiming for sustained success. San Francisco, though, has more than $70MM in cap space and has a need at corner. Maiocco, though, notes the 49ers are “extremely excited” about 2017 third-rounder Ahkello Witherspoon‘s development. Witherspoon graded as a top-50 Pro Football Focus corner last season in 660 snaps. It looks like he could be one of San Francisco’s starters next season opposite a UFA acquisition.
One player Witherspoon may not be guarding twice next year is Paul Richardson. The UFA wide receiver sent out a tweet that certainly makes it look like he won’t be playing for the Seahawks next season. A 2014 second-round pick who didn’t impress much until his contract year, Richardson caught 44 passes for 703 yards and six touchdowns last season and is expected to have a competitive market. And the Seahawks still have Doug Baldwin and Tyler Lockett under contract. However, this wouldn’t be the first time a Seahawks wideout indicated he was likely headed out the door only to return to Seattle. Jermaine Kearse was more declarative about departing the Pacific Northwest in 2016 before re-signing to stay in his home state shortly after.
Tom Cable would prefer the Raiders retain Marshawn Lynch for a second season, Scott Bair of CSN Bay Area reports. Oakland’s new offensive line coach, of course, worked with the running back during his peak years. Nothing has been decided on Lynch yet. The soon-to-be 32-year-old back is due a $4MM base salary in 2018 if he remains on the Raiders’ roster. He’s due a $1MM roster bonus on March 18.