Sherman’s passion impresses Shanahan
On Friday night, as Kyle Shanahan and his wife, Mandy, had dinner with Richard Sherman and his fiancee, Ashlee Moss, in Los Gatos, the 49ers’ head coach noted this: The cornerback is the same over a meal as he is on the field.
Shanahan, who had not met Sherman before, was struck by the competitive fire that has helped the fifth-round pick become a four-time Pro Bowler.
“He has a very good idea of what’s made him successful,” Shanahan said. “I knew what a competitor he was, but to just to see how real that is when you are with him in person. He has another level of competitor and, to me, there’s no doubt that’s what makes him great.”
A day after the dinner, the 49ers worked out a three-year contract with Sherman, 29, a Stanford alum who is returning to the Bay Area in much the same way that he left it: The 154th pick in the 2011 draft has plenty to prove again after the Seahawks released him Friday.
Sherman, who will turn 30 on March 30, sustained a torn Achilles tendon in November and has since had a procedure to remove bone spurs from his other Achilles. The Seahawks didn’t deem him worthy of a $11.4 million base salary in 2018, and the specifics of the 49ers’ contract he negotiated himself reveal even his new employer isn’t convinced he’ll recapture his All-Pro form.
Sherman, however, will be fueled by his jilting from the Seahawks. He acknowledged the ability to play Seattle twice a year in the NFC West factored into his decision to sign with the 49ers, a longtime nemesis.
“This is kind of reigniting that gasoline fire that I’ve always had burning,” Sherman said. “It just threw a lot more gas on that, and I’m thankful for this motivation and inspiration.”
Sherman agreed to terms with the 49ers on Saturday about 28 hours after he was released, and Shanahan noted his desire to face his former team probably helped expedite the process.
“I don’t think it was the only reason he wanted to do this,” Shanahan said, “but that’s definitely an added bonus and it helped our situation.”
Shanahan noted it could have been a far more complex negotiation in light of Sherman’s situation. That is, how to strike a deal that accounts for Sherman’s stellar past performance and murky future, given his age and injuries?
“That’s something that can be very complicated, and that’s why (a signing) may not happen until later,” Shanahan said. “What was cool in dealing with Richard is he’s a very confident guy. He believes in himself. And we believe in him, also. It’s cool that both sides took some risks.”
Sherman’s self-belief has served him well on the field — but some question whether it benefited him at the negotiating table.
His deal, which is worth a maximum of $39.15 million, includes just $3 million fully guaranteed at signing, with an additional $4 million expected to be earned if he passes a pre-training-camp physical in July, ProFootballTalk.com reported. The contract has $18 million tied to per-game roster bonuses and incentives, and the 49ers can cut him after this season with little financial penalty.
One agent told The Chronicle that the 49ers “really got over on him” and termed the contract “embarrassing” for Sherman.
For his part, Sherman told the MMQB.com on Sunday that he didn’t think “any agent in the business could have done a better job of negotiating this contract.”
Late in the contract process with the 49ers, Sherman called the three other teams who had expressed the most interest in him: the Seahawks, who wanted the right of first refusal, the Raiders and Lions. Each team indicated it wouldn’t match the 49ers’ offer.
Sherman said Seattle general manager John Schneider said it was a “solid deal” with the 49ers, although Schneider made note of the $2 million tied to per-game, 46-man roster bonuses in 2018. Sherman, however, felt comfortable earning $125,000 for every game he’s on the active roster this season.
Sherman also felt comfortable signing with the 49ers, despite years of bad blood with the team. On Monday, Sherman noted much of the tension was tied to the days when former 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh, his head coach at Stanford with whom he butted heads, was part of a fierce rivalry that’s since cooled.
“It had a lot more with Jim Harbaugh associated with it than with Shanahan and (general manager) John Lynch,” said Sherman, who later referenced his Stanford career: “I’ve spent a lot of time wearing a red jersey in the bay, so I’m sure I’ll figure it out.”
At Stanford, Sherman spent his first two seasons as a wide receiver, and his position coach was Cardinal head coach David Shaw. They spent five seasons together and formed a bond that remains strong.
On Sunday, Shaw referenced the quality Shanahan finally saw firsthand over dinner. It’s what has made Sherman great in the past and, the 49ers hope, in 2018 and beyond.
“You also have a Richard Sherman who’s coming off an injury, who’s got a chip on his shoulder,” Shaw said. “He’s not one of those old guys who can’t play anymore. He’s got a determination and a fire to get back to the Pro Bowl, to play so well that he’s once again one of the best in the league.”