In wake of the Seattle Seahawks’ decision to part ways with Richard Sherman, he has become one of the more intriguing players on the open market for the first time in his career. In fact, he steps in as arguably the top cornerback available before the start of the free agency period.
The 29-year-old has already set up his first visit with the San Francisco 49ers. However, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN, the Oakland Raiders are listed as one of several teams that have expressed preliminary interest in signing Sherman.
I spoke to Richard Sherman last night, he told me after being informed of his release by the #Seattle Seahawks, he has received preliminary interest from the #49ers, #Titans, #Lions, #Raiders, #Texans, #Bucs and #Packers. https://t.co/QtAB9T3sOt
— ig: josinaanderson (@JosinaAnderson) March 10, 2018
The Raiders possess a glaring need to address their secondary at the cornerback position, which has been a pressing issue over the few seasons. The possible addition of Sherman would be a significant upgrade with one of the top cornerbacks in the league.
Through his first seven seasons, he has backed up that notion with four Pro Bowl selections, three First-Team All-Pro nods, and a Second-Team All-Pro selection. This includes ranking first in the league since the 2011 NFL season in interceptions (32), passes defended (99), completion percentage allowed (47.4), and passer rating allowed (50.9).
However, there are some health concerns given that he is coming off a torn Achilles tendon back in November. He also underwent minor surgery to remove a bone spur from his foot, but he still expects to be able to take the field by June. This marked the first major injury and snapped his streak of six straight seasons of playing in all 16 regular season games.
The Raiders certainly fit the bill as a legitimate landing spot that meets Sherman’s prerequisites of being a contending team that has a strong option under center with Derek Carr. The team also has enough salary cap space to offer him a reasonable deal with $19.1 million at their disposal. They are well above the expected $7 million annually that Sherman is expected to receive in offers.
With the free agency period quickly approaching, things in this situation could pick up in a hurry with the Raiders well in the mix.
