Cornerback Richard Sherman remains available to be signed, nearly four months after becoming a free agent for the second time in his career. So where (and when) will he sign?
On the slowest weekend of the year, an offhand remark easily can morph into a headline. That’s what happened with this observation from Mike Triplett of ESPN.com regarding additional moves the Saints could make, if a long-term deal with franchise-tagged safety Marcus Williams happens before the July 15 deadline: “A big name like cornerback Richard Sherman is not out of the question, though Sherman has multiple suitors.”
It’s unclear how many suitors Sherman actually has, frankly. At the level of compensation he hopes to receive, he has none. Otherwise, he’d have a deal in place. At this point, he’s waiting for a better offer or the right time to take the best offer he can get.
The longer he waits, the more jarring the transition may be to new city, new team, new coaching staff, new playbook. The sooner he signs, the smoother the change.
He lacks no confidence. Some would point to that trait as the prime reason for the fact that he’s not under contract, that he thinks more of his remaining abilities than any of the 32 teams do.
If not the Saints, then who? Some have mentioned potential reunions with the Seahawks and 49ers, but nothing has happened along those lines. In some ways, the familiarity helps. In other ways, it may not. Sherman had an at-times rocky relationship with Russell Wilson in Seattle; now that Wilson and the team have renewed their vows (or, perhaps, have pressed pause on the potential divorce for eight months), it’s hard to imagine the Seahawks stirring the pot with a player who once yelled “you f--king suck!” at Russ.
In San Francisco, well, let’s just say if the 49ers wanted him on the team, he’d be on the team. As Simms and I previously have discussed on PFT Live, a palpable sense existed entering the 2019 season that the 49ers considered moving on from Sherman after only one year with the team. But Jason Verrett got injured and Sherman stayed and a crippling pass rush plus the best record in the conference plus Sherman’s lingering skills plus his experience plus his name recognition vaulted him to the Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro, guaranteeing that he’d finish his three-year deal with the 49ers.
One season later, Sherman still waits for his next landing spot. He’ll undoubtedly find one, unless he eventually decides that the best offer he gets isn’t good enough to justify doing anything other than waiting, possibly through training camp. Possibly into the regular season. Possibly until an injury to a player on a team that runs the Seattle defensive scheme sparks an offer that Sherman won’t refuse.