49ers notebook: Richard Sherman takes victory lap, Emmanuel Sanders misses practices

Richard Sherman’s bet on himself is paying off in a big way.

The veteran cornerback, who negotiated his own contract with the 49ers in the spring of 2018, was named a second-team All-Pro on Friday, triggering $2 million in incentives to his three-year contract. He earlier this season received $1 million for being named to the Pro Bowl and another $1 million in playing time incentives.

His total salary for 2019 was just under $14 million, which is among the highest in the NFL at the position. He has one year remaining on his contract for roughly $10 million which would become guaranteed in April.

Sherman has taken to Twitter for his victory lap after his incentive-laden deal was widely panned because many believed it was too team-friendly. But that’s not the case now that Sherman reached his major incentives.

“I felt like I made the right decision and I knew what I was doing when I did it,” Sherman said in the locker room Friday. “That’s why it was frustrating to hear all the nonsense, but when you have people saying stuff like that, you’ve got to wait for the long play ... and I keep all the receipts. I keep it in my back pocket because I know I’m gonna be right in the end. I’m a very hard one to defeat in that regard.”

Sherman finished behind first-team All-Pros Stephon Gilmore of the Patriots and Tre-Davious White of the Bills. Marcus Peters (Ravens), Tyrann Mathieu (Chiefs) and Marlon Humphry (Ravens) were also tabbed first-team “defensive backs.” Peters also joined Sherman as a second-team cornerback.

Sherman’s initial three-year contract came with plenty of risk for both he and the 49ers. After all, Sherman was in the middle of rehabbing from an Achilles tear the previous November with the Seahawks as he was on the verge of turning 30 later that month.

But now that Sherman is back to form — having allowed a 46.8 passer rating and a league-best 0.44 yards per coverage snap, according to scouting service Pro Football Focus — the 49ers have been excited about the veteran corner’s contributions to the league’s top-ranked passing defense. Sherman’s All-Pro nod was the fifth of his career. He was a First Team member in 2012, 2013 and 2014.

Sherman’s experience while playing in big games with the Seattle Seahawks, including two Super Bowls, has paid dividends as San Francisco’s mostly-inexperienced roster wades into the club’s first postseason appearance since after 2013.

“He’s very even keeled in how he talks to these guys. He’s pretty wise in that area,” Kyle Shanahan said before the regular season finale.

Tight end George Kittle (First Team) and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner (Second Team) were San Francisco’s two other All-Pro honorees Friday. Both received their designations for the first time.

“It’s an honor to be voted on there,” said Kittle. “Definitely means I have a lot of respect around the league, which is incredible. All I try to go is go out there every single Sunday and just put good football on tape for people to see and just honored to be voted that. Excited to play more football though.”

Kittle, widely regarded as the 49ers’ most dynamic offensive player, finished third among tight ends with 1,053 receiving yards. He became the first at his position in team history in 2018 to record a 1,000-yard season when he set a single-season record for tight ends with 1,377 yards.

Kittle was Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded player in the NFL during the regular season and received the highest grade of any tight end in the website’s history.

Meanwhile, Buckner received his first All-Pro recognition despite his sack numbers coming down from last season. Buckner finished with 7.5 sacks following his 12-sack performance in 2018. Though the emergence of Arik Armstead (10 sacks) and rookie Nick Bosa (9 sacks) likely had something to do with the drop in his sack totals.

“Finally getting the recognition with all the hard work that I’ve put in throughout the last couple of seasons,” Buckner said when asked about what the All-Pro recognition means. “And also, I wouldn’t have gotten it if it wasn’t for my teammates. Everybody on the D-line, everybody on the defense. The back end holding up in coverage, linebackers coming down and filling holes and everything. I wouldn’t be here, I wouldn’t have gotten it without my teammates.”

Buckner is nearing the end of his rookie contract. He had his fifth-year option picked up last May and remains eligible for a new contract. But the 49ers are expected to have roughly $23 million in cap space for 2020 and face the looming free agencies of Armstead, safety Jimmie Ward and receiver Emmanuel Sanders. Additionally, Kittle is due for a lucrative extension.

That’s a problem for another time. For now, Kittle is less focused on contracts or All-Pro nods than bringing home San Francisco’s sixth Lombardi Trophy next month.

“It is an honor,” Kittle said. “But it’s something I’ll celebrate hopefully in a couple weeks after we win some more games.”

Emmanuel Sanders excused from practice

Meanwhile, the 49ers spent their bye week having light practices Thursday and Friday ahead of their Jan. 11 postseason opener in the Divisional Round. And after getting linebacker Kwon Alexander back on the field Thursday, Sanders was absent Friday while dealing with a personal matter, the team said. Sanders is expected to rejoin the team next week.

Additionally, third-string quarterback C.J. Beathad returned to the team Friday after spending roughly two weeks with his family in Nashville after his brother, Clayton, was fatally stabbed outside a bar last month.

The 49ers will return to the practice field Tuesday to begin their normal week of preparation before hosting their playoff game the following Saturday. They will play the lowest remaining seed following the weekend’s Wild Card round. The possibilities are the Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks and Philadelphia Eagles.

This story was originally published January 3, 2020 at 2:49 PM.