It looks like Richard Sherman‘s tenure with the San Francisco 49ers is coming to an end.
Sherman signed a 3-year, $27.1M deal with the 49ers back in 2018, which he negotiated himself.
His Seattle Seahawks career ended with a ruptured Achilles and a lot of bad blood.
The Legion of Boom fell apart and the Super Bowl Seahawks became unrecognizable.
Sherman was an intricate part of that defense and one of the best defensive players of the past decade.
Most Valuable Seattle Seahawks over the past decade per PFF WAR
1. Russell Wilson
2 Richard Sherman
3. Doug Baldwin
4. Earl Thomas pic.twitter.com/xG8QafKyZf— PFF (@PFF) June 7, 2020
He continued to dominate when he was able to be on the field for the 49ers.
Sherman struggled through soft tissue injuries through his entire tenure, but never let up on the field.
Lowest passer rtg allowed since '19:
🔒 J.C. Jackson – 48.0
🔒 Richard Sherman – 51.7 pic.twitter.com/5merpchhue— PFF (@PFF) February 11, 2021
He can still lock down one side of the field at full health.
His technique and physicality at the line of scrimmage have been disrupting No.1 WRs for years.
He has lost some speed which is why we saw him get burnt by Sammy Watkins in the Super Bowl last year.
Sherman can bring leadership, a veteran presence, and top-tier play to a contender’s backfield.
That is Shermans one requirement.
He wants to play for a contender for two years and then it will be time to hang it up.
With that information, these 3 teams should already be on the phone with him.
1: Indianapolis Colts
I believe this depends on what the Colts do at the quarterback position.
Right now, the Colts are looking at $69M in cap space, but that is because they no longer have a starting QB.
They also have a lot of free agents they need to get long term deals done for.
WR’s Zach Pascal, TY Hilton, and Ashton Dulin (ERFA) are all free agents along with TE’s Trey Burton and Mo Alie-Cox (ERFA).
On the defensive side of the ball, CB’s Xavier Rhodes, Travis Carrie, and Tremon Smith are on the market.
The Colts have a lot of work to do this offseason, but Sherman can fit into this equation well.
For one, Sherman is an extremely hard-working player, so that should satisfy Darius Leonard.
Free agents!! If y’all are thinking about coming to the Colts and play defense just know that we don’t want you if you don’t play hard, run to the ball, make plays or not willing to sacrifice yourself for ya teammate to make the play! Don’t care how big or little ya name is!
— Darius Leonard (@dsleon45) February 13, 2021
Also, the defensive coordinator is Matt Eburflus, who is famous for running a similar base Cover 3 defense, just like the Seahawks did with the Legion of Boom.
Eburflus flexed on the league ending the season with a top 10 passing defense.
Sherman can fit into the Colts defense seamlessly, which is attractive to both the Colts and Sherman.
Less learning and more production, or work smarter not harder as some would say.
The Colts also fit the contender description well since they did make the playoffs in 2020, but were just edged out by the Buffalo Bills in round one.
Get a QB that is not on his way to a retirement home, get some more offensive weapons, and lock up the defense with Sherman.
2: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
I don’t even need to mention the whole “playing for a contender” part.
Devin White got to take his horse out on the Bucs' field while holding the Lombardi 🏆👏 @DevinWhite__40
(via @Buccaneers) pic.twitter.com/6KjsOO5GbX
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 11, 2021
The youth and swag on this Buccaneers defense should remind Sherman of the old Legion of Boom days.
They play fast, hit hard, and talk it up all game long.
Sherman brings a desperate need for veteran leadership to a backfield where the oldest player is 24.
Jamal Dean, Sean Murphy-Bunting, Carlton Davis, and Antoine Winfield Jr. are all solid players.
Imagine their development if they had a legend like Richard Sherman showing them some moves?
For that reason alone, to be more of a coach than a player, Sherman would be worth the signing.
Sherman also plays at his best when the front 7 can generate pressure and force the ball out quickly.
Well, we saw the Buccaneers generate a lot of pressure with only 4 in the Super Bowl.
I would be excited for him if he ended up in Tampa Bay.
3: Seattle Seahawks
Time heals all wounds, right?
Even if Sherman still holds a grudge against Pete Carroll and John Schneider, he has some friends left on that defense.
He can reunite with LB’s Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright.
Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas might be gone, but playing next to Jamal Adams should be a similar feeling.
To say Sherman is familiar with the defensive style would be an understatement since he won a Super Bowl playing in it.
BRING. SHERM. HOME. @seahawksPR @Seahawks @RSherman_25 pic.twitter.com/2wIfhMEFGK
— Primetime (@AlejandroC_GM) February 10, 2021
If everyone can get past their personal feelings and grudges, this reuniting would make a lot of sense.
The Seahawks need to improve their defense if they want to get past the first round of the playoffs.
They are still contenders year in and year out, small improvements just need to be made.
the pass rush improved down the stretch, which as I stated before, is huge when it comes to production on the back end.
The Seattle Defense has 31 sacks in the last 7 games. Remember what everyone said they didn’t have? A pass rush. Seattle fixed their Defensive weakness and are rolling ever since. If Russ can play his best football come playoff time. The Seahawks are a Super Bowl contender.
— The Azgardian 💮 (@BankaiXIII) December 28, 2020
Time to come home, Richard.
Become a Seahawk once again, win another Super Bowl, and retire as a member of the team that redefined defense for the 21st century.
NEXT: 3 Offseason Moves The 49ers Should Make In 2021