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Several NFL teams have contacted Pro Bowl cornerback Richard Sherman, who has been in therapy since an arrest in July, in recent days.
Sherman is back at his former Seattle playing weight of 195 pounds and expects to be on the court at some point in 2021.
Sources say the Super Bowl Buccaneers champion touched base with Sherman, 33, last week after losing starting cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting indefinitely with a dislocated elbow. The 49ers have also maintained contact with Sherman since his contract expired in March and, after losing Jason Verrett to a season-ending knee injury in Week 1, have expressed interest in bring back Sherman later in the season. The Seahawks have also been open about their discussions with Sherman about a possible reunion.
Money is a factor. Sherman sparked the interest of several teams – including the 49ers, Seahawks and Saints – at the start of free agency, but no team was willing to meet the asking price at the time. (Sherman is his own agent.)
There’s also the issue of Sherman’s current legal situation, resulting from an incident in July that led to his arrest for five misdemeanors – including drunk driving and second degree criminal trespassing – after crashing his SUV in a construction zone and later attempted to break into the home of a family member.
The arrest was originally reported as an incident of domestic violence, but police said Sherman did not physically assault anyone; he pleaded not guilty to all charges and vowed to seek help.
A person close to Sherman said he has been doing magnetic therapy and has been speaking with a therapist since the incident, helping him solve many problems he did not have the tools to tackle before. He also lost 15 pounds – the weight he put on after a torn Achilles in 2017 and held onto most of his three seasons in San Francisco.
The league is reviewing Sherman’s legal situation. The 2020 drug addiction policy calls for a basic three-game unpaid suspension for a first DUI offense, but the NFL generally does not impose discipline until legal proceedings are completed, meaning Sherman would likely be free to play immediately.
A member of the 2010 NFL All-Decade team and three times in the All-Pro First Team, Sherman has 36 career interceptions and 115 assists defended in 139 regular season games (133 starts) with the Seahawks and 49ers.
He was a key part of Seattle’s Super Bowl XLVIII championship team and a return to the title game the following year. Coming out of the ripped Achilles, Sherman left Seattle to sign the 49ers in 2018 and enjoyed one of his best seasons of 2019, helping the 49ers reach the Super Bowl. An Achilles-related calf injury limited Sherman to five games in 2020.
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