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For pretty much the past several months, it’s been concluded that Richard Sherman would leave the San Francisco 49ers in free agency. Sherman noted that a return wasn’t likely due to the 49ers’ cap situation and need to re-sign other core players such as left tackle Trent Williams.
But with a bulk of the 49ers’ free agent moves done and after they retained a ton of players, there’s now a chance that Sherman could return to San Francisco.
“Corner is a position of interest for the 49ers tonight,” ESPN’s Nick Wagoner noted. “Worth watching also because CB Richard Sherman told Stephen A. Smith today that ‘a return to San Francisco isn’t out of the cards.'”
Wagoner went on to report that Sherman has been in contact with the Las Vegas Raiders, Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints in free agency. The future Hall of Fame cornerback is expecting things to pick up once the 2021 NFL Draft comes to a conclusion this weekend.
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Richard Sherman, San Francisco 49ers reunion makes sense
Despite the 49ers’ ability to re-sign free agents Jason Verrett, Emmanuel Moseley and K’Waun Williams, there’s still need for depth and a veteran presence in the defensive backfield. Realistically, having a healthy Sherman start opposite Verrett with Moseley moving to backup duties would make the most sense.
Sherman, 33, signed with San Francisco back in 2018 after seven brilliant season as the leader of the Seattle Seahawks “Legion of Boom” defense. He struggled in his initial season with the 49ers before earning Pro Bowl honors en route to helping them to a Super Bowl appearance in 2019. This past season saw Sherman miss all but five games to injury.
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As noted in the aforementioned report, a lot of this will depend on what the 49ers do on Day 2 of the 2021 NFL Draft. After selecting quarterback Trey Lance No. 3 overall, San Francisco has the 43rd and 102nd picks on Friday and six more selections to close out the annual event Saturday.
There’s a decent chance that the 49ers opt to land one of the top available cornerbacks on the board once Round 2 gets going. Whether that changes things as it relates to Richard Sherman remains to be seen.