Getty Richard Sherman and Tom Brady went from rivals to teammates.
It is going to take some getting used to seeing two formal rivals as Tampa Bay Buccaneers teammates, but Richard Sherman is doing his best to put any lingering tensions with Tom Brady behind him. Sherman had a little fun with an old meme he originally posted to poke Brady after the Seahawks upset the Patriots in 2012. The newest Bucs corner posted two side-by-side versions of the famous photo featuring Sherman yelling at Brady. Next to the original picture, Sherman posted a photoshopped version of themselves in Buccaneers uniforms.
“We’ve come a long way @tombrady,” Sherman noted in the viral Instagram post.
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Sherman on Brady: ‘I Always Thought It Would Be Really Cool to Play Together If We Had the Opportunity’
After announcing his decision on The Richard Sherman Podcast, the corner spoke at length about his relationship with Brady. Sherman once again discussed their rivalry during his introductory press conference and noted that the perceived tension has been overblown. The five-time Pro Bowler added that he and head coach Bruce Arians also had a bit of a rivalry from their NFC West days.
“But me and Tom have had a great relationship over the years,” Sherman explained, per Buccaneers.com. “I think people get confused [by] on the field stuff, but we’ve texted over the years and have had a really cool relationship. I always thought it would be really cool to play together if we had the opportunity.
“It’s crazy how things shake out. When they shake out this way and the opportunity presented itself – I talked about the relationship with B.A. [Bruce Arians] and Todd [Bowles] and Byron [Leftwich] and all those guys – it was a perfect situation and a perfect fit, and I’m excited to be here.”
Sherman: ‘Once He Calls, It’s Like You Better Come or You’re Going to Regret Not Coming’
Sherman explained that his wife needed to sign off on his decision to move from their Seattle home to Tampa for the season. The veteran corner cited Brady’s call as a reason he may “regret not coming” if he signed elsewhere.
“Tampa is like the most aggressive, Tom’s actually called and once he calls it’s like you better come or you’re gonna regret not coming,'” Sherman discussed his conversation with his wife to reporters. “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.”
Arians admitted his quarterback is a closer when it comes to recruiting talented players like Sherman.
“I think when you want to talk about a veteran player and you want to win a championship and Tom calls you, you’re going to listen,” Arians said, per Buccaneers.com. “He’s going to listen to him, especially knowing the roster we have. I think there’s probably a bunch of veterans out there wishing he’d call them.”