Niner Noise
FanSided

Refuting complaints about the 49ers’ 2018 NFL free agency class

By Peter Panacy

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 31: General Manager John Lynch of the San Francisco 49ers looks on from the sidelines during the second half of a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 31, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 31: General Manager John Lynch of the San Francisco 49ers looks on from the sidelines during the second half of a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 31, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
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SEATTLE, WA – JANUARY 19: Cornerback Richard Sherman #25 of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates after he tips the ball leading to an intereption by outside linebacker Malcolm Smith #53 to clinch the victory for the Seahawks against the San Francisco 49ers during the 2014 NFC Championship at CenturyLink Field on January 19, 2014 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA – JANUARY 19: Cornerback Richard Sherman #25 of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates after he tips the ball leading to an intereption by outside linebacker Malcolm Smith #53 to clinch the victory for the Seahawks against the San Francisco 49ers during the 2014 NFC Championship at CenturyLink Field on January 19, 2014 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) /

Claim No. 3: 49ers Shouldn’t Have Signed Richard Sherman

Yes, Richard Sherman will soon be on the wrong side of 30 years old and is coming off a serious Achilles injury.

And there’s the argument — the three-time All-Pro is now injury prone and will start to lose his effectiveness sooner than later.

Perhaps.

One of the arguments, linked on the first slide, states Sherman’s “multiple” Achilles injuries will negate his ability to play effectively in a Cover 3 scheme.

Let’s just leave this right here, courtesy of NFL Spin Zone’s Nicholas McGee:

We’re not playing medical experts here. But that’s an argument that goes both ways. Those who claim Sherman won’t be the same because of the Achilles injury are just as guilty of claiming expert medical knowledge.

The truth is we don’t know. Yet the Niners didn’t exactly put themselves at a big risk here.

Why Signing Richard Sherman Makes Sense

Coordinator Robert Saleh’s defense is a carbon copy of the one Sherman thrived in with the Seahawks over his tenure there. So you can’t argue the scheme fit.

Had the 49ers inked Sherman to a lucrative, let’s say, four-year deal worth $40 million and with $20 million in guarantees, yes, it would have been a bad move. Risky.

But San Francisco didn’t.

Sherman’s three-year deal is incentive-laden, with only $2 million in guaranteed money for 2018. And any cap expert will tell you the guaranteed part is what counts most. Essentially, the 49ers can walk away after one season without any serious financial ramifications.

Plus, had the Niners gone back to the NFL Draft for a cornerback, it would have been way too much to ask for two starting corners, the other being Ahkello Witherspoon, to assume such major roles with a combined one year of pro experience under their belts.

Yes, a veteran presence was needed. And San Francisco got one on the cheap.