The Seattle Seahawks have informed cornerback Richard Sherman on Friday that they are releasing him, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Sherman’s departure from the Seahawks has been rumored and discussed for several days, with talks of him staying in Seattle, taking a paycut to stay, potentially being traded or being released.
You know, the big four.
There was confusion, some misleading reports, Sherman himself potentially making them worse by what he did and did not tell his teammates and of course, a big long thread here at Niners Nation about it. But him moving on from the Seahawks was always the likeliest ending to this.
The Seahawks traded defensive end Michael Bennett to the Philadelphia Eagles, and there have been talks about safety Earl Thomas potentially holding out. Fellow safety Kam Chancellor has also dropped some hints, so the Seahawks really could be imploding.
Sherman will turn 30 at the end of March, but wil presumably be signed by a team by then. He played in just nine games last season due to a ruptured Achilles. If he recovers from that injury, I would expect Sherman to remain a productive cornerback for at least a couple more years. He’s motivated and was playing decent football before the injury.
He fits the scheme and a huge need of the San Francisco 49ers, though I have no idea if they’ll try and bring him in. From a rivalry perspective and outspoken prospective, I have no problems with Sherman. By and large, he backed up his trash talk and was never a divisive figure in the Seattle locker room. But given the lack of offers made on Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib, it’s possible the 49ers already have their sights set on a free agent or even rookie cornerback.
Sherman himself has been pretty vocal on Twitter, and is quick to defend himself. He’s making some good points.