Sherman waiting for right situation
“Well, apparently wegottowait until the draft happens before anything else shakes out, because everybody has their hopes and dreams in the draft, which is understandable. You turn 33, and then it’s like, ‘We’ll wait until we get a young pup. And if we can’t get a young pup, we’ll take an old fool.’ So that’s where we’re sitting.”
— Richard Sherman, cornerback.
It’s been almost a month since NFL free agency began, and Richard Sherman is still waiting for the right team and right contract. And the former Pro Bowl cornerback, who doubles as his own agent, admits it will probably be nearly another month before he finds his next NFL home.
None of this is too surprising. The NFL’s decreased salary cap in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic has been a big factor in an overall slow free agent market. Plus, despite his possible Hall of Fame credentials, Sherman is 33 years old and played in just five games with the 49ers last season because of nagging calf injuries.
The Stanford-educated Sherman realizes why he’s stuck in free-agent limbo, and it’s why he’s not panicking.
“Well, apparently we got to wait until the draft happens before anything else shakes out, because everybody has their hopes and dreams in the draft, which is understandable,” Sherman said on a podcast with Cris Collinsworth. “You turn 33, and then it’s like, ‘We’ll wait until we get a young pup. And if we can’t get a young pup, we’ll take an old fool.’ So that’s where we’re sitting.”
As for Sherman’s options, despite his age and recent injury history, he should have a few after finishing off a three-year deal with the 49ers that reportedly paid him almost $31 million. In his few appearances this past season, Sherman still flashed Pro Bowl-caliber play. Pro Football Focus thought enough of Sherman’s 2020 performance to rank him No. 21 among all free agents before the signing period started on March 17.
The Raiders, Rams, Chargers and even a return to the Seahawks have been most mentioned as possible destinations for Sherman. As for a 49ers reunion, that still appears to be a long shot, especially since San Francisco re-signed both Jason Verrett and Emmanuel Moseley as their presumptive starters in 2021.
Of course, that doesn’t mean the 49ers still aren’t on Sherman’s mind. He spent one portion of the podcast talking about how the 49ers are Super Bowl contenders and why they should take Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields with the No. 3 overall pick at the draft on April 29 and have him back up Jimmy Garoppolo.
“I still think (Garoppolo is) going to be the starting quarterback Day 1 for San Francisco,” Sherman said. “They have a chance at a Super Bowl this year. They have a Super Bowl-caliber roster, which is obvious. He’s already taken them to one.”
NINERS ADD A QUARTERBACK »
Three weeks before drafting a quarterback at the No. 3 spot, the 49ers have already added another to the mix. Nate Sudfeld, a Modesto native, signed a one-year deal, presumably to help with whatever workload awaits in the offseason program that begins on April 19.
Sudfeld is a Modesto Christian and Indiana University product who was a 2016 sixth-round pick by Washington. He spent the past four seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, totaling one touchdown, one interception and one Super Bowl ring, the latter as a 2017 backup. He completed 25 of 37 passes for 188 yards in four games.
That makes four quarterbacks on the 49ers’ roster: Jimmy Garoppolo; Josh Johnson; Josh Rosen and Sudfeld.