Looking for help in their secondary, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed veteran cornerback Richard Sherman to a one-year deal reportedly worth $2.25 million, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media. The 33-year-old Sherman said he joined the defending Super Bowl champions because they came with the best offer, and the team is the best opportunity for him to lead another group.
"I feel comfortable and confident in my abilities to go out there and execute and help that team win," said Sherman, who played seven seasons with the Seattle Seahawks and three years with the San Francisco 49ers. Sherman said a call from Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady also convinced him to sign with Tampa Bay.
Sherman clashed with Brady in 2012
Sherman and Brady went head-to-head a few years back during the cornerback's stint with the Seahawks. In 2012, Sherman helped Seattle to a win over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. After the game, Sherman tried to find Brady and shouted, "you mad, bro?" Sherman also tweeted "u mad bro" together with a photo of him with Brady after the game.
However, Brady had the last laugh when he led the Patriots to a victory over the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX. Sherman was the first one to congratulate Brady after the game. On his Instagram account, Sherman posted a photo of his encounter with Brady back in 2012 and an edited version where they both wear Buccaneers' uniforms. Sherman accompanied the photo with the caption, "we've come a long way @tombrady". The 44-year-old Brady responded to Sherman's post with "We look much better together in the same color jersey", with two faces with tears of joy emojis.
Sherman says he exchanged jerseys with Brady
During an interview with the media, the 33-year-old Sherman said he was in touch with Brady even before the Buccaneers reached out to him regarding the possibility of joining the team, per Carmen Vitali of Buccaneers.com.
Sherman said Brady called to check on him and to tell him that there might be an offer coming his way after the Buccaneers' secondary suffered a big hit with injuries to young cornerbacks Sean Murphy-Bunting and Jamel Dean, who suffered a knee injury in their 34-24 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 3. Sherman also cleared the air about his "you mad, bro?" moment, saying he and Brady exchanged jerseys about 4 to 5 years ago. "We exchanged jerseys maybe 4-5 years ago, and he said, 'I'm still mad, bro.' He wrote it on the jersey," Sherman shared to the media. Sherman said that he's the same with Brady when it comes to competition because they both do anything it takes to win. "That's what kind of attracted me to come because I know that he's the same kind of animal I am," said Sherman, who recorded 483 total tackles, two sacks, 115 passes defended, 36 interceptions and 3 touchdowns in 139 career games with the Seahawks and the 49ers.