Twenty-six months ago, Richard Sherman ruptured his right Achilles. unofficially ending his time as a Seattle Seahawk.
Sherman signed a bet-on-himself deal with the 49ers that offseason. After a subpar first season with the Niners, Sherman was back to his dominant self this season, helping lead the 49ers to a 13-3 record and the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
On Sunday, Sherman and the 49ers completed their impressive turnaround when they blasted the Green Bay Packers 37-20 in the NFC Championship Game at Levi's Stadium to punch their ticket to Super Bowl LIV.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Sherman, who sealed the win with an interception late in the fourth quarter, was overcome by emotions after the win.
The veteran corner was widely criticized for his self-negotiated contract with the Niners, and many believed he would be done after the Achilles injury. But he believed in himself and what the 49ers were building and has been a vital ingredient to this Super Bowl run.
"Kyle [Shanahan] and John [Lynch] and Robert Saleh, I thought they had the formula, I thought they had the talent and obviously they have the pedigree," Sherman told NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco after the win. "Kyle calls a great game and I trust Saleh to call the games that he has. Richard Hightower deserves a ton of credit for how our special teams are playing. John Lynch deserves a ton of credit for building this beast. But I really believed. People told me I came here just for the paycheck and that I came to a losing team and I was ruining my career. But I saw the vision."
San Francisco 49ers
[RELATED: How 49ers, Shanahan made history with Super Bowl LIV berth]
Sherman was one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL this season, consistently shutting down one side of the field for a dominant defensive unit. He was voted to the Pro Bowl and named second-team All-Pro.
Many doubted whether or not the 49ers were for real. But Sherman never had any doubt and his faith in himself and the organization was rewarded Sunday.
"You can't control what other people think but you can control the faith that you have in your men and that's what we did," Sherman told Maiocco before heading off to celebrate with his teammates in a sea of scarlet and gold confetti.