Well, that didn’t take long.
One day after being released by the Seahawks, veteran cornerback Richard Sherman has agreed to terms with the 49ers, per multiple reports.
It’s a three-year deal; per NFL Media, it’s worth $39 million (we’ll wait to see what the official numbers say). Given that Sherman still hasn’t recovered from surgery on both Achilles tendons, the terms of the deal will be very interesting. Will he get a signing bonus before he can pass a physical? Will other payments hinge on his ability to play?
As one league source explained it to PFT, a surgically-repaired Achilles tendon almost always heals. The key questions are when the healing occurs, and whether the player will be as fast and effective after the tendon has healed.
The 49ers apparently were willing to assume the risk of slow healing or reduced effectiveness, all in the name of beefing up a defense with one of the key pieces of what almost was a Seattle dynasty.
The move comes at a time when Sherman was scheduled to visit the Lions, and when other teams were interested in talking to Sherman. It’s unclear whether the 49ers were willing to offer more than any other interested team, or whether Sherman simply pounced on the opportunity to tell Russell Wilson “you f--king suck!” not in a practice but during two games per year. Maybe three.