Getty Richard Sherman during a practice leading up to Super Bowl 54.
Richard Sherman has found his next NFL stop and gets the chance to see the San Francisco 49ers once this upcoming season.
Except the veteran cornerback isn’t putting on shoulder pads and a helmet. He’s putting on a business suit in front of the cameras.
Sherman, who was a captain on the 49ers‘ Super Bowl 54 team and was last seen with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, took to Twitter on the evening of Tuesday, June 14 to announce his newest destination for the 2022 season: He’s joining the Amazon pregame broadcast crew.
495 Tackles
37 INTs
5x Pro Bowler
5x All-Pro
Super Bowl XLVIII Champion.
And now he’s on our Thursday Night Football team, only on @PrimeVideo. Welcome, @RSherman_25! #TNFonPrime
The 34-year-old additionally confirmed the move to Steve Wyche on the NFL Network.
Sherman will be joining Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit and NFL Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez as part of the debut crew for the streaming giant that will broadcast the Thursday Night Football contests.
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Sherman Details Plan For Coverage
Sherman, who played in 34 games with the 49ers from 2018 to 2020, gave a glimpse into what he plans to bring to the network’s first-ever broadcast team.
“I feel like it’s important for players to continue to push the game forward and educate the fans through real experience and real intellect and trying to take them even deeper into the game,” Sherman said to Wyche, explaining his decision to go into broadcasting. “I think you try to simplify it as much as you can for them, but I think the more informed and educated the fans are, the better the experience is. You want to help them understand their team, understand why this touchdown happened, understand why this big run happened, understand why this interception happened, and I think I can do that.”
Sherman’s last two seasons were on the truncated side. His final 49ers season witnessed five starts. His lone season with the Bucs in 2021 also saw the same amount of games.
Despite not playing a full campaign in his last two seasons, Sherman brings with him a Hall of Fame worthy resume to the broadcast crew: Five Pro Bowl appearances, three All-Pro nods, three NFC Championship rings and delivering the Seattle Seahawks the franchise’s first-ever Super Bowl title in the 2013 season.
His last Pro Bowl nomination came when he was a 49er — picking off three passes and producing 11 pass breakups during the 49ers’ run to the NFC title.
Is Sherman Officially Done Playing?
While Sherman is adding a new job description on his resume, he’s still keeping his phone line open for any NFL franchise needing a veteran cornerback in their defense.
“No, no, I’m still leaving that door open as long as I can,” Sherman told Wyche. “I’m obviously going to keep training and staying in shape, but gotta take the opportunities when they’re there, and this is an amazing opportunity with Amazon, so I couldn’t pass it up. But I’m going to leave that door open, if somebody wants to call late December, and needs some help, I’m happy to help.”
“No, I am still leaving that door open as long as I can.”
@RSherman_25 on if he is done playing.
Sherman added: “I’ve got something in the tank. But right now I’m excited and focused on this Amazon opportunity. It’s the first time you get to talk the game, get to feel the atmosphere. Thursday nights have always been exciting, obviously I haven’t always been a fan of them, I’m excited to call from this side.”
Amazon’s regular season NFL debut will be on September 15 when the L.A. Chargers visit the Kansas City Chiefs. Depending on if he remains unsigned by an NFL franchise, Sherman won’t break down the 49ers until December 15 — when his former team faces the franchise he began his NFL career with, the Seahawks.