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Richard Sherman is one of the greatest cornerbacks of his generation, and he struck fear in the hearts of wide receivers for over a decade. The five-time Pro Bowler was a member of the legendary legion of boom defense with the Seattle Seahawks, and he brought Super Bowl XLVIII to the city of Seattle.
Sherman called it a career after the 2021 NFL season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Recently he stated what made him hang up his cleats, and you can keep reading to find out why.
Richard Sherman recently said on his podcast that his realization came on Oct. 14, 2021. On that day, he was assigned to cover then-Philadelphia Eagles rookie wideout DeVonta Smith. Smith dominated Sherman so much that the cornerback realized he could no longer keep up with the NFL's fresh offensive talents.
According to Sherman, he desperately hoped that the Eagles would stop targeting Smith, and it made him realize he was playing in his final season.
Sherman said:
"At that moment, I was like, 'Yeah, this is probably my last year. I don't get it for these young dudes right here.'"
He made five more appearances for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a reduced role and moved to the broadcasting booth at the end of the season.
During his NFL career, Richard Sherman played for three franchises: the Seattle Seahawks from 2011 to 2017, Philadelphia Eagles from 2018 to 2020 and Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the 2021 NFL season.
He played the cornerback position for the first two franchises and the safety position for the Buccaneers. Sherman's NFL career stat line reads 495 total tackles, 2.0 sacks, 116 pass deflections, 37 interceptions, five forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries and three defensive touchdowns in 144 regular-season games.
Richard Sherman's NFL Legacy
Some see Richard Sherman as the most outstanding cornerback of his generation. The perennial Pro Bowler was part of the "Legion of Boom" defense, the secondary of which led the NFL in pass defense in 2013. Sherman was the most vocal member of the unit, and his trash talk highlight reel is the stuff of legends.
Sherman's outspoken personality, tendency to make big plays and frequent trash-talk made him one of the NFL's best-known players of his era. He backed up his trash talk on the Gridiron and regularly shut down the best wide receivers.
Sherman's accolades include three first-team All-Pro selections, two second-team All-Pro selections, five Pro Bowl appearances, one NFL interceptions title and a spot on the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team.
