SANTA CLARA -- In baseball, a sport conducive to a flurry of moves at the trade deadline, every team can be categorized in one of two ways: Buyer or seller.
Entering a Week 8 game at the Arizona Cardinals, the 49ers are 1-6 and fit the classic description of a team that would be stocking up on draft picks while dumping high-salaried, veteran players.
However, the 49ers do not have many veteran players whom contenders might want to add for a late-season push. The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday at 1 p.m. PT.
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Cornerback Richard Sherman might be a player who could attract value on the trade market. But the 49ers believe Sherman is much more valuable for what he brings on and off the field than any draft pick they could receive as compensation.
Sherman is signed through the 2020 season, and 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan was asked whether he envisions the cornerback being part of the team’s future.
“Yes, definitely,” Shanahan answered on “49ers Game Plan,” which airs Saturday at 7 p.m. on NBC Bay Area (Ch. 3).
“I think he’s helped us this year. I think Richard has played at a high level when he’s been out there. I think he’s done exactly what we hoped he would do when he came here. That’s definitely a guy we want part of our team next year.”
San Francisco 49ers
Sherman, 30, expects to play Sunday against the Cardinals after sitting out one game with a calf injury. Sherman said he expects to remain with the 49ers through the long haul, providing on- and off-field contributions for any playoff push in the future.
“They haven’t reached out to my agent and expressed anything,” Sherman said, prompting laughter from the media.
Sherman, working as his own agent, signed a three-year contract worth approximately $26 million with the 49ers shortly after the Seattle Seahawks released him in March.
“They’ve said since I came here that I was part of the future plans, at least for the next couple years,” Sherman said. “And that’s the way we see it, that’s the way I see it.”
Sherman, who was selected as a team captain this week, is an important figure to a young defensive backfield. Therefore, it makes sense to keep Sherman around as long as possible because of the positive influences and lessons taught that could last long after he is gone.
Said Shanahan: “Everything we think about here is what’s going to help us now, but more importantly, what’s going to help us in the future.”