Sherman A Niner? Ew
Mar 11, 2018, 12:00 AM | Updated: Jan 4, 2019, 11:24 am
(Photo by Robert Reiners/Getty Images)
As a lifelong Niner fan, when I found out Richard Sherman was coming down to San Francisco/Santa Clara to meet with the 49ers, it made my skin crawl. Much of it was because I’ve spent the last few years hating him as a Seahawk, but there was another reason:
It made total sense.
Yes Sherman is beyond outspoken. Yes he had the famous “Michael Crabtree is sorry” rant to Erin Andrews, but no one being honest has ever doubted two things:
- The man is amazing at his job
- The man is insanely intelligent
We aren’t just talking about a Stanford grad, though we shouldn’t dismiss that. Dude is a Stanford grad, pursuing a master’s degree. He grew up in Compton, getting 5 bucks from his mom for every A he got. Maybe that’s why he graduated with 4.1 GPA, second in his class.
He’s also his own agent.
But all the intelligence in the world doesn’t mean jack if the guy can’t do it on the field. Suffering an achilles injury last year, turning 30 later this month, there are serious questions as to his ability to perform. Yet if he can just reach 75% of his previous form, the deal is worth it. Check out the parameters Paraag Marathe negotiated on behalf of the Niners:
Interesting. Just $7M in base salary. $6M more in incentives. Sherman is betting on himself in a big way. $16M in base for 2019 & ‘20 becomes guaranteed if he’s All-Pro. Another option would’ve been signing a 1-year & be a free agent again in 2019. Will watch this play out. https://t.co/hBMjRajtX8
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 11, 2018
As Ian Rapoport said in his tweet, Richard Sherman is betting on himself in a big way.
So the Niners get (perhaps) an All-Pro corner, who is pissed off with something to prove, who gets to play his former team twice a year (who happen to still be arch-rivals of the Niners)?
Yeah, I’m all in.