Friday, the Seattle Seahawks will make it official when they release cornerback Richard Sherman into the wild after seven seasons with the team. The Seahawks drafted Sherman in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft.
Seattle will save $11 million in cap space with Sherman’s release. They’ll still have to eat $2 million in dead money. Sherman will be joined on the free agent list by Jeremy Lane. Reportedly, the team has put safety Earl Thomas on the trade block too.
All I have ever wanted to be was a good teammate. Thank you @Seahawks for an amazing opportunity. pic.twitter.com/ZTU3FfRfLj
— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) March 10, 2018
Sherman missed the second half of the 2017 season with a torn Achilles, but he should be healthy and ready to sign with a new team. He’s a four-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro. So who will land one of the biggest prizes in free agency?
Let’s take a look at the odds.
49ers +390
Seahawks +635
Raiders +810
Patriots +1045
Texans +1140
Chiefs +1520
Vikings +1710
Chargers +2100
Colts +2500
Jets +2700
Panthers +3100
Cowboys +4565
Packers +5010
Falcons +5680
Field +255
First off, while Sherman won’t draw $13 million in the free agent market this season, he could easily command $10 million a year, depending on the length of the deal and guaranteed money. That means he must fit under a team’s salary cap, which makes the San Francisco 49ers the obvious choice. If Sherman wants to land on a contender, and you’d think he would, San Francisco has $70.074 million available next season.
3x All-Pro. 4x Pro Bowler. Super Bowl Champ…@RSherman_25’s BEST plays with the @Seahawks! https://t.co/t0OlZsP19J
— NFL (@NFL) March 10, 2018
The 49ers can work a lot of magic in free agency this season and with a young quarterback (Jimmy Garoppolo) and expanding offense, it would be smart to spend some of that money to contend in 2018. Grabbing Sherman at the forefront of the free agent period could start a snowball effect, bringing in some big time talent to the Bay Area and second-year head coach Kyle Shanahan’s squad.
Seattle, at No. 2, is an odd bet. On paper, you’d think they’d want him back, but he’d have to sign for $7 million or so for it to even make sense. If he’s a $10 million guy, then they should have just kept him since they’re eating $2 million in dead cap anyway.
Seahawks’ statement on the release of Richard Sherman: pic.twitter.com/iUEv9EArr3
— Seahawks PR (@seahawksPR) March 9, 2018
The Raiders, at three, would have to really work to make the cap fit happen. As of this writing, they’re sitting on just $19.940 million in available spending money for free agency. They have far too many holes, especially on defense, to spend that much on one player.
If I’m looking past the 49ers, the Houston Texans are a real possibility. They have plenty of cap space ($62.699 million) and reasons to spend it now.
If I had a favorite out of all these scenarios it would be the Indianapolis Colts at +2500. They’ve just hired a new head coach, Super Bowl-winning offensive coordinator Frank Reich. They have $73.878 million in cap space, plus a need for leaders on defense. With Andrew Luck returning from injury, this is a team primed for a jump in 2018.
No one better. Honor to share the field with you. @RSherman_25 pic.twitter.com/ei8LrFZu4K
— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) March 9, 2018
New England is the No. 4-ranked team in these odds, but they’ve already invested a huge contract in Stephon Gilmore ($13 million a season). They’ll lose cornerback Malcolm Butler to free agency, but they’ll need to sign Sherman on a “Patriots discount” to make it happen. The Pats have just $25.235 million in available cap. There’s a need there and Sherman could look at the possibility of a ring in exchange for a couple of million in a one-year deal.
