Just like everyone else that saw it happen, Richard Sherman wishes he could get the image of Dak Prescott's gruesome ankle injury out of his mind.
The 49ers' veteran cornerback feels terrible for the Dallas Cowboys' star QB for many reasons. Among them is the trickledown effect of what could now happen to Prescott contractually.
"I felt terrible for him," Sherman said on "The Cris Collinsworth Podcast featuring Richard Sherman." "As a player, you see his production, everything that he's done over the years. You see what other quarterbacks are getting and you understand why he hasn't accepted what he's been offered. And then you always see the side from the fans.
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"That's one thing as players you never understand -- the fan's side. They're always with the logo. ... Fans never take a step back away from the organization and say, 'Hey, this player has worked his whole life for this. This is one opportunity to have life-changing money, why wouldn't he try to maximize it.' So you just feel sick for him. You just feel sick because he's having a record-setting season. ... To see him injured like that, it's just beyond hate to see it. I'm just sick to my stomach for him."
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Prescott sustained a compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle Sunday during the Cowboys' 37-34 win over the New York Giants. He's out for the season, and foreseeable future, all without a long-term contract. Prescott and the Cowboys did not come to a long-term contract agreement after his rookie deal ended after the 2019 season. Instead, Prescott was franchise-tagged at $31.4 million this year.
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The Cowboys will have until the end of the two-week franchise-tag period in late February/early March to sign Prescott to a long-term deal or to apply the franchise tag again. A second one-year franchise tag for the QB would be worth $37.68 million.
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Sherman knows what it's like to have a serious injury and then proceed to go through contract talks. He tore his Achilles tendon in 2017 and then was cut by the Seattle Seahawks in March 2018. The longtime star corner served as his own agent when he negotiated a three-year, $39 million contract with the 49ers days after being cut.
Sherman, who turns 33 years old next March, is set to be an unrestricted free agent once again this upcoming offseason. He looked like a star last season, but has suited up for just one game this year after straining his calf and recently suffered a setback in rehab.
While Sherman felt sick for Prescott and understood the large amount of money the quarterback might have lost while trying to help his team win, Sherman himself will again enter contract talks with the 49ers and possibly other teams in the coming months.