Richard Sherman: Top takeaways from 49ers cornerback’s Monday conference call

Newly minted San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman spoke with members of the media Monday morning. Here are some of the conference call highlights and tidbits.

Over the weekend, the San Francisco 49ers did the unthinkable — land Richard Sherman and only hours after the three-time All-Pro cornerback had been released by his former team, the Seattle Seahawks.

Sherman joined Bay Area media on Monday morning, via a conference call, and there were certainly some interesting pointers.

“We sat there and haggled for about five hours, five-and-a-half hours,” Sherman said of the Saturday contract talks, via Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News. “Neither side wanted to walk away without a deal because we felt there was a great relationship and great understanding. It was awesome.”

“Neither side wanted to walk away without a deal because we felt there was a great relationship and great understanding. It was awesome.” — Richard Sherman

Sherman, of course, met with Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan the night before for dinner in nearby Los Gatos.

Obviously that meeting went well. And apparently defensive coordinator Robert Saleh — who worked alongside Sherman in Seattle before 2014 — also made an appearance at the dinner.

Saleh brought aboard the same defensive scheme Sherman thrived in with the Seahawks for years. So it should be a seamless transition for the cornerback.

But the Friday meeting was predicated by a quick move when Sherman was released, as the Sacramento Bee’s Matt Barrows pointed out:

The MMQB’s Peter King illustrated some interesting tidbits about the few hours between Sherman’s release, meeting with Shanahan and the eventual contract negotiations. Sherman acted as his own agent, but went about his due diligence.

According to the report, Sherman contacted the Seahawks, who weren’t willing to match San Francisco’s offer. The Oakland Raiders, who were also on the list of possible landing spots, weren’t going to have enough cap space. The Detroit Lions weren’t going to end up being in the mix either.

In the end, the Niners’ deal made the most sense.

Having quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo also helped, as Sherman described, via Inman:

"That had a huge part. The way he played down the stretch was inspiring, it was incredible. Sometimes quarterbacks can get hot and the next year fall off the face of the Earth and you do not hear from them again. I saw poise, I saw leadership, I saw respect from teammates, and I saw command of the offense in a short time."

Additional Richard Sherman Tidbits

There are some question marks, after all. Perhaps the most pressing is how injuries may affect his ability to play. Sherman will turn 30 years old later this month and is coming off a season-ending Achilles tear.

And apparently there was another ankle injury, although Sherman cleared that up (h/t Al Sacco of 49ers Webzone):

Injuries aside, Sherman — once considered enemy No. 1 of the 49ers fanbase — was asked how he’d adjust to a once-hostile crowd.

“I’ve spent a lot of time wearing a red jersey in the Bay, so I’m sure I’ll figure that out,” he responded, via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area.

Another part of Sherman joining the Niners was a fact none of the other teams could offer — they’ll play his former Seahawks team twice a year. So, if retribution is part of the motivation, Sherman can easily get it.

It appears as if he’s looking forward to that.

“I’m going to try my best to ruin their day. I want a chance to show what I can do up there,” Sherman said.

For even the biggest anti-Sherman fans among the 49ers Faithful, that might be enough to convince them to change their opinions holding over from a rivalry that died back in 2015.

Next: Full 49ers preview and analysis ahead of 2018 NFL free agency

As of now, though, it looks to be back on. And San Francisco finally has the upper hand.