Getty Richard Sherman felt the Seahawks were stringing him along in free agency.
After months of rumors about a potential reunion with the Seattle Seahawks, Richard Sherman is now a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. During his introductory press conference, Sherman noted he also had talks with the Seahawks but accused his former team of “stringing [him] along” during the process. Sherman hinted at his discussions with the Seahawks as he relayed a conversation he had with his wife Ashley Moss about potentially signing with the Bucs.
“Okay honey, Tom’s on the phone, and Tom says I should come here so, your thoughts?” Sherman explained. “It was like, ‘Hey, San Francisco called, how do you feel about that? They’re not offering anything yet, what do you feel about this? Seattle’s kind of, you know, kind of stringing you along haven’t offered anything.
“Tampa is the most aggressive. Tom’s actually called and once he calls it’s like you better come or you’re gonna regret not coming.’ It’s what it seems like, so that definitely went into the conversation, and she was right on board. I thought she thought this would give me the best opportunity to go do what I loved and to go play at a high level and had a chance at chasing the trophy.”
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The Seahawks Did Not Make Sherman a Formal Offer
From Sherman’s story, the Seahawks did not make the veteran corner a formal offer. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll admitted they had been in talks with Sherman over the offseason, but it does not sound like there was much movement in the discussions since the team started training camp.
“I didn’t talk to Richard, but we’ve been in contact, kind of in a way, for some time,” Carroll explained when asked about Sherman. “We always were watching Richard and had the thought, in [my] mind that maybe there was a possibility somewhere down the road. I talked to him seriously about that earlier, prior to camp. But wishing [him] the best, I’m glad he’s got a chance to get back and hope for the very best for him.”
Sherman’s Complicated History With the Seahawks Likely Contributed to the Team’s Decision
Carroll was asked if bringing back Sherman would have been more complicated than a team like the Buccaneers signing the corner with a clean slate. The Seahawks coach paused and admitted there was more that went into the decision for Seattle.
“I don’t know if that’s the right way to say it, more complicated I don’t know,” Carroll added. “Let me say this, yeah maybe, because we know so much and have so much information and we’re so familiar and all that, maybe so. Somebody else who doesn’t, [it] might be a different decision for them to make. The other side of it, I would say that it would work to our advantage [on] the other side of it, too. So, if we were willing to do something.”
ESPN’s Brady Henderson believes Sherman’s history with Russell Wilson along with his recent arrest contributed to the Seahawks’ hesitancy to sign the corner.
“My read on Sherman: the Seahawks considered a reunion earlier in the summer, but his arrest was one more issue — and a serious one — they would have had to live with,” Henderson said in a series of tweets. “Others being his age/recent injuries, his messy exit and his history with Wilson. It’s clear from this Carroll quote and everything else he’s said about Sherman that he still holds him in high regard. And again, they considered bringing in him back earlier this offseason. But there was a lot working against it in the end.”