Ex-49ers Captain Richard Sherman Reveals WR Who Forced Him to Retire

Getty Richard Sherman wraps up Tyreek Hill in Super Bowl 54 on February 2, 2020.

At some point, NFL stars have an epiphany and realize when it’s time to pursue other interests. For former San Francisco 49ers cornerback and captain Richard Sherman, he revealed when he knew retirement became more at the forefront. It involved facing an emerging star at wide receiver and future NFC champion.

His retirement thought never came while playing with the Niners, But, in speaking with Philadelphia Eagles Pro Bowl offensive tackle Lane Johnson on his podcast (h/t Bleacher Report on Saturday, July 8), Sherman revealed that facing Johnson’s teammate DeVonta Smith gave him the realization it was time to put away the cleats. That came in Week 6 of the 2021 season, which eventually became Sherman’s final season.

“DeVonta must’ve run this comeback (route),” Sherman recalled. “I had him under control, I was like, bam, quick jam, easy, had him under control. He must’ve stopped and I tried to stop and my whole groin said, ‘Snap, snap, snap, snap,’ and I said, ‘Whoa, whoa.'”

That moment also occurred when Sherman said he was coming back from a lower body injury. Sherman even remembered looking on the sidelines and finding one Bucs coach asking him twice “You want to come out?”

Contest Convinced Sherman It Was Time to Hang up the Cleats

The downside with that moment between Sherman and the unnamed Bucs coach was that, while Sherman was open to head to the sidelines during that sequence, the Eagles ensured that wasn’t going to happen.

“I’m like, ‘Yeah, but they’re in a hurry-up,'” Sherman remembered. “So I’m like bailing out.”

And that was the moment when Sherman realized father time has caught up to him.

“At that moment I was like yeah, this is probably my last year,” Sherman said. “I don’t got it for these young dudes right here.”

Fortunately for Sherman and the Bucs, they held on for the 28-22 win that night. Smith was still held to two catches for 31 yards on four targets. However, his longest reception was the 25-yarder with Sherman in coverage.

Sherman finished with one tackle in that win. Sherman went down with a hamstring injury that game and would later be limited to two games after that win.

The two teams would meet again in the playoffs with the Bucs rolling to the 31-15 win before ultimately falling to the eventual champion Los Angeles Rams.

Sherman Also Sympathized With Johnson

Earlier in the interview, Johnson dove into the Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs — including the week leading up to the big game then the aftermath.

As the tackle described it, the Kansas City Chiefs were efficient in hitting the Eagles with misdirection plays and on defense, the smarts shown by the linebackers and how they knew what the Eagles were doing pre-snap.

“Man, it’s a game of chess too,” Johnson told Sherman.

To which Sherman also chimed in with sympathizing alongside Johnson involving the Chiefs.

“Believe me…we lost to them too in the Super Bowl,” Sherman said in referring to Super Bowl 54. “Believe me, I know your hurt.”