Richard Sherman acted as his own agent when he negotiated his three year deal with the San Francisco 49ers this past weekend. For all intents and purposes, the 49ers were the only team he talked to. He did speak with the Oakland Raiders and Detroit Lions, who thought it was too rich for their blood. Additionally, he called his former team, the Seattle Seahawks, giving them the right to match.
According to Jay Glazer, there was a little bit more than a “no thanks,” from the Seahawks. Glazer was on The Herd with Colin Cowherd to discuss free agency and dropped a bit more information on how the conversation between Sherman and the Seahawks went.
“What people don’t know is [Sherman] called John Schneider, the GM of the Seahawks and John was actually giving him guidance on how to do his deal, because he’s his own agent. So it wasn’t like, they thought they were doing him a solid. I think Richard’s looking at it like “here’s my deal because I want you guys to match.” They’re looking at it like, “we’re trying to help you out and guide you since you’re being your own agent and this is where you can get more money.” Obviously it helps the Seahawks if he gets a lot more money, and it hurts [the 49ers] cap.”
This probably won’t be the end of the release/negotiation process that led Richard Sherman to the gates of Santa Clara, but it’s an interesting tidbit. It makes sense the Seahawks would want to try and stick it to the 49ers from a cap perspective. Given how Sherman is being hammered for the contract, it adds a little more perspective.
Video is embedded above if you would like to watch it. Make sure to go to the 1:04 to hear the comments.