49ers ink former nemesis Richard Sherman to 3-year deal

Former Seattle Seahawk and Super Bowl Champion Richard Sherman has agreed to a 3-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

The deal, worth up to $39.15 million, comes less than 24 hours after the four-time Pro-Bowler reportedly met with head coach Kyle Shanahan in Los Gatos on Friday night.

Sherman was also expected to meet with at least one other next week, including the Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Oakland Raiders, Tennessee Titans according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.

By coming to San Francisco, Sherman will be reunited with former defensive assistant and current defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, who has openly modeled the 49ers scheme after Seattle’s.

Sherman will also be reconnected with former Super Bowl-winning teammate Malcolm Smith. The two spent the first three years of their careers together as Seahawks from 2011 to 2014 when Smith left for Oakland.

Considering the familiarity with some of the 49ers players and personnel, Sherman is expected to make a relatively easy transition to San Francisco compared to some of the other teams that were previously reported to be courting him.

Coming off of a torn Achilles tendon that sidelined him for the tail end of the 2017 season, Sherman is expected to be healthy and ready to go for 2018 as he will be filling arguably the biggest hole in the 49ers roster.

In 2017, the 49ers gave up the 22nd most yards per game through the air (235.2) landing themselves in the bottom third in the league for the second time in three seasons.

Some of the blame can be placed on the revolving door of head coaches and coordinators over the past four years, though much can be placed on the lackluster talent on that end of the roster.

Relying on firth-year corner Dontae Johnson and rookie defensive back Ahkello Witherspoon last season, the 49ers have undoubtedly stabilized their shaky secondary by adding Sherman to the mix.

Since 2011, Sherman has led the league in interceptions, deflected passes, passer rating allowed and completion percentage allowed making him one of the most dominant corners in the NFL.

On top of his numbers, Sherman’s resume does not disappoint as the former Stanford alumni has accumulated his fair share of accolades. Including a Super Bowl XLVIII ring, Sherman has stacked up three selections as a First-Team All-Pro, one Second-Team All-Pro non and a 2013 interceptions leader award.