On Tuesday, The Players Tribune published a story written by San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman detailing the events that led to his release and eventual signing to the San Francisco 49ers. Before we even discuss it, give the article a read as it puts to rest a lot of the speculation regarding his release and landing with the 49ers.
Sherman is very candid in the piece, though he doesn’t say anything that could be considered bitter or disparaging. There’s several good points to be made such as how his release from Seattle went down:
First of all, contrary to some reports, the Seahawks didn’t ask me to take a pay cut. There was no negotiation. When I met with them on March 7 to discuss my future, they informed me of their intent to release me. They didn’t know when they were going to do it, but it would be soon, they said.
Two days later I was in Las Vegas at the NFLPA meetings, sitting up on a stage in front of like 200 people in a giant hotel conference room, when my phone started blowing up. News of Seattle’s plans had gotten out.
A few of hours later, at about 1 p.m. Pacific, the Seahawks officially released me.
What happened after the release is common knowledge. Sherman was called almost immediately by the 49ers and had dinner with head coach Kyle Shanahan. It sounds like Kyle Shanahan was the one to get this deal going because in his introductory press conference, and this article, Sherman talks highly of the coach.
At dinner, Kyle made one hell of a pitch. He has an incredible football mind — he’s just a great tactician — and we talked for hours about different schemes and about his vision for the team. He really impressed me.
There’s a few other good points to be made in this article, notably Sherman identifying why he represented himself instead of an agent. Sherman detailed it was a challenge and he wanted the challenge as well as did his homework. In his press conference today, he indicated hope that this opened the door for other athletes to negotiate their own deals in the future.
In the article, Sherman makes a point about how he got what he wanted, but also identifies how the 49ers get what they wanted and understands the thinking behind the team’s incentive based contract. To him, it seems like a win-win.
Sherman also makes it known that playing against the Seahawks wasn’t the ulterior motive for signing with the 49ers, though it was a nice perk. His motive was how the 49ers were sincere and the first to jump and begin pitching him with genuine interest to join the team.
And then there’s the point that Seattle remains his home. He owns a Wingstop in the area and also a house that he says he won’t be selling. He also intends on raising his family in Seattle. While he thanks the fans and acknowledges his career, he also is quick to point out a lot of the recent outrage of him coming to the 49ers—notably jersey burning.
Sherman seems grateful for both his time in Seattle, and to join the 49ers, but hammers the point that this was a business decision for all parties involved. For all intents and purposes, Sherman isn’t pointing a finger or blaming anybody in any of this situation.
It will be interesting to see what happens in the future when he hits the field, for the time being, give this article a read. It certainly puts to rest a lot of the speculation on Sherman coming to the 49ers and if there’s any possible ‘feud’ between him and the Seahawks.