The New England Patriots missed out on a chance to acquire a big-time cornerback after Richard Sherman agreed to a deal with the San Francisco 49ers. The Patriots have nothing but themselves to blame for missing out on Sherman’s services, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald.
Despite being aware that Sherman was interested in joining them, the Patriots never reached out to Sherman, who signed a three-year deal worth $39 million. According to Howe, Sherman’s interest in joining the Patriots is real as he wanted to play with Tom Brady. However, the Patriots did not make any attempt to contact Sherman, who met with the 49ers early Saturday and signed the deal in the evening.
In a tweet, the cornerback said he would only look at teams that have reached out to him. Aside from the Patriots, several other teams expressed interest in Sherman, including the Chicago Bears, Oakland Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns, and the Atlanta Falcons.
Seahawks released Sherman
On Friday, the Seattle Seahawks released Sherman, opening the door for the Patriots to acquire him as a free agent. The Seahawks made the move because of financial reasons as they don’t want to be saddled by the cornerback's $11 million salary for next season. The Seahawks were also unsure about Sherman’s health status as he recently underwent surgery on his ruptured Achilles.
Sherman said he understood the Seahawks’ move, saying it was purely business and had nothing to do with his performance. The cornerback also left the door open for a possible return to the Seahawks at some point in his career. Sherman played seven seasons for the Seahawks, who drafted him in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft.
From 2011 to 2017, Sherman leads the league with 32 interceptions.
Sherman excited to play for 49ers
Sherman is now focused on making a mark on his new team, according to Steve Wyche of the NFL Network. According to Wyche, Sherman told him that he’s excited to start a new chapter in his career with the 49ers, where many Hall of Fame defensive backs have played for “this incredible organization.”
The cornerback added that he is determined to “uphold that standard.” According to Nick Shook of NFL.com, the 49ers were able to sign Sherman as they have $66 million in cap space.
Shook said 49ers general manager John Lynch was able to hook the veteran cornerback with a three-year deal worth $39 million, including a $5 million signing bonus. The negotiations went smoothly as Sherman represented himself in contract talks, without a help of an agent.
