Exclusive: Unlikely to return, Richard Sherman reflects positively on time with 49ers
A month after the end to his third season with the San Francisco 49ers, nothing has changed for Richard Sherman. The pending free agent is set to find another team in the spring.
In fact, the All-Pro future Hall-of-Famer had a conversation with head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch when the two sides agreed a split was coming.
“It’s been made pretty clear,” Sherman said in a phone conversation with The Bee. “It was a good conversation, nothing crazy. Just a good conversation about where they are and where I am, and their plans. We were both very positive and as good as you can be in a situation like this.”
The 49ers this offseason face the difficult task of retooling a roster that went to the Super Bowl after the 2019 season with unique financial restrictions. The salary cap that was expected to be in the $210 to $220 million range before the pandemic is more likely to be around $175 to $180 million, which means a number of key contributors could be headed elsewhere when the new league year begins March 17. The team has 30 unrestricted free agents and just over $13.1 million in cap space for 2021, according to Overthecap.com.
San Francisco’s roster has gotten more expensive by way of big contracts recently to players such as tight end George Kittle and defensive lineman Arik Armstead, while quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is slated to make $26.4 million and the team is looking to give top-of-the-market deals to free-agent left tackle Trent Williams and All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner, who is eligible for a new contract for the first time this offseason.
Sherman first let it be known it would take a “miracle” to return to the 49ers, given the salary cap crunch in December. He had a disappointing 2020 campaign. Calf issues limited him to a career-low five games played. Sherman didn’t miss a game during his first seven seasons with the Seahawks. In 2017, he tore his Achilles. He’s had lingering issues with his lower leg since and he’ll turn 33 in March. Sherman didn’t speak with the media when players cleared out from the facility the day after the regular season ended.
‘Very positive’ time with 49ers
The former Enemy No. 1 of the 49ers and their fans sounded as if things ended on good terms and he’ll reflect fondly of his three seasons back in the Bay Area, where he also attended Stanford.
“Very positive. It was an incredible chapter in my career and I got to meet and play with some incredible human beings,” Sherman told The Bee. “I met some phenomenal coaches, and obviously the relationships that were forged will be lifetime connection and my relationship with ‘The Faithful’ has obviously evolved during that time, which has been a pretty cool arc in the story. And I’m grateful for it.”
Sherman will leave a sizable void in the secondary with his departure, both on the field and in the locker room. The team’s top four cornerbacks heading into last season — Sherman, Jason Verrett, K’Waun Williams, Emmanuel Moseley and Ahkello Witherspoon — are all unsigned for 2021, meaning there could be big changes in the secondary under first-year defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans and new secondary coach Cory Undlin.
It’s likely the 49ers will make signing Verrett a priority while Moseley, a restricted free agent, is expected to be retained. The team already brought back Ken Webster, who made his mark in 2020 on special teams after being signed off the Dolphins practice squad in September. Former 2019 sixth-round pick Tim Harris is under contract and is expected to compete for a roster spot come training camp.
“It’s unique,” Sherman said of the situation surrounding the 49ers’ secondary in 2021. “It’s good and bad because they have a ton of talent still there with Emmanuel and obviously Jimmie (Ward) and Tarvarius (Moore) and Marcell (Harris). Those players aren’t easily replaced, so I will assume Verrett will be heavily factored into those plans, rightfully so, he’s earned himself a huge pay day.
“He played well all last season, he played well down the stretch, and I think that’s what’s going to make it difficult is the guys that have to retain are going to be expensive. I don’t envy them. It’s a tough spot to be in because those aren’t the only places of need. You got to find a way to retain Trent Williams, you got to find a way to keep other (positions) together, and then you got to find a way to pay guys who have earned their money like Fred Warner. So it’s going be unique and it’s take some maneuvering but I think John can get it done.”
Sherman said he plans to play two more seasons. His permanent home remains in Seattle. Once his playing days are over, he’s considering taking a role in media and has long-term aspirations to become an executive, perhaps following a similar path to Lynch.
“I haven’t come to any conclusions on anything,” he said. “It’s one of those things that I think is always fluid and can always change. Even if I go into media and I start down that path, that doesn’t close the door on me going front office and trying to be on the path of being an executive and reconnecting to the game. So I think it’ll be some sort of hybrid version of that, of me being really into the media but me keeping a pulse on what’s going on in terms of moving back in at some point.”
