«I wanted to be represented by somebody who was going to look out for my best interest and nothing else.»
If we learned anything from Richard Sherman’s contract with the 49ers, it’s that the former Seahawks corner believes in himself.
Sherman negotiated his three-year, $27 million deal with the 49ers without the help of an agent. It’s an incentive-heavy deal that will require him to play at a high level (and avoid injury) if he’s going to earn most of that money.
It’s also a team friendly deal, and one that drew plenty of scrutiny from around the NFL world. Even Joe Thomas criticized Sherman for not hiring an agent…
You really feel bad for Richard Sherman, but this is clearly a case of ego getting in the way of his pocket book. He got absolutely crushed on this contract while working as his own agent… https://t.co/TrVBQxuReG
Sherman responded to the critics in a piece for The Players’ Tribune on Tuesday. He explained why he felt comfortable taking a prove-it deal, and why he believes it is fair for both parties…
But I wasn’t just going to fly by the seat of my pants. I downloaded past contracts from the NFLPA database and, with the union’s help, spent a lot of time studying the language and structure and nuances within contracts…
Under my previous contract with Seattle, I had no guaranteed money for 2018. In my new deal with the 49ers, I get a guaranteed $3 million signing bonus right off the bat and another $2 million if I pass a physical before November 11 … $5 million for just signing the contract and passing a physical is a big win for me. …
So on top of my signing bonus and my $2 million base salary for 2018, we put incentives in the contract that will pay me more depending on how much I play — on both a per-game basis and a percentage of defensive snaps — as well whether or not I make the Pro Bowl or the All-Pro team. All in all, including my signing bonus, I could earn as much as $13 million for 2018.
Simply put: If Sherman plays as well as he believes he’s capable of playing, he’ll make more money than he would have if he had settled for a more traditional deal. The kind of contract an agent may have convinced him to take.
Sherman defended the deal during his introductory press conference…
#49ers CB Richard Sherman was discussing with the media about why the media [he named @ProFootballTalk specifically] doesn’t talk about all the bad deals agents negotiate for players. Media does talk about it [I just retweeted an article from @theMMQB] pic.twitter.com/WP3czznjy2
«The thing I’m most frustrated about,» Sherman said, «is all the people that were so high on bashing this deal refused to bash the agents that do awful deals every year. There are agents out there that are doing $3 million, fully guaranteed deals that look like $50 million deals. When the guy gets cut after two weeks or a year and only makes $5 million off of a $50 million contract, nobody sits there and bashes the agent… I mean the kid from Philly [Nigel Bradham], it’s a one-year, $6 million deal, but to everybody else it’s a $40 million deal. Because nobody’s paying attention to these agents and their deals.»
Andrew Brandt, a former Packers exec who now writes for Sports Illustrated, echoed Sherman’s sentiment, and even used the same example…
It won’t be too difficult for Sherman to unlock the incentives in his deal, anyhow. If he stays healthy, that is. As long as he stays on the field and plays at a decent level, he is a big enough name to make a Pro Bowl based on reputation alone. It is a popularity contest after all, and Sherman is the most recognizable corner in the league. By far.
You can read the rest of Sherman’s piece here .
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