Richard Sherman Signing Keeps Seahawks Elite
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
It was reported earlier that the Seattle Seahawks and Richard Sherman have reached a long-term contract agreement. The details of said contract have since been revealed. Bleacher Report cited it being a four-year deal worth $56 million with $40 million guaranteed. Bottom line is that Seattle feels Sherman is worth every penny.
He is now thought to be the best cornerback in the NFL, and Earl Thomas, who just received a huge extension himself, the best safety. So what does this news mean for the Seahawks? It means that their secondary is going to be very dangerous over the next few years. Locking these two men into extended deals also opens the doors for interested free agents who will be looking to play alongside great defenders. There is a lot to like about Seattle right now.
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
The next step for this team will be to lock up QB Russell Wilson after this season, as his rookie contract will expire. A lot of money has been spent by the Seahawks, and some people are questioning if they can afford these moves. Keep in mind, they had a very quiet free agency period. With the exception of the Terrell Pryor deal, Seattle remained outside of the spotlight as other teams went on spending sprees to obtain new talent. John Schneider and company have had this planned out for months. This day was no surprise. This isn’t them making a last ditch effort to retain a valuable player who was on the edge of leaving. The front office was very aware of what they needed to do, as was Richard Sherman. There was never a question of if this deal would be done, just a matter of when.
A few players left the team this offseason. In reality, the only unexpected departure was that of WR Golden Tate, but in a year where the draft is so deep at the WR position, and considering Sidney Rice came back, this may not be too big of a blow. This Seahawks team is going to be elite for a very long time.