© Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
It didn’t take long for the San Francisco 49ers to reach out to the newly available Richard Sherman.
As reported by Marcus Thompson of The Athletic, Kyle Shanahan was seen having dinner in Los Gatos with the 29-year-old cornerback and his wife shortly after his release from the Seattle Seahawks on Friday afternoon.
Apparently, their conversation went well.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the 49ers have scheduled another meeting with Sherman, which will take place sometime today. Schefter didn’t rule out the possibility of Sherman staying in the NFC West and joining the 49ers.
Richard Sherman could be seeing Seattle twice a year:
Sherman is scheduled to meet today with 49ers’ officials, sources tell ESPN. 49ers want to make sure Sherman healing from injuries, and if both sides pleased with meeting, they will try to get contract done, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 10, 2018
Although the 49ers are in desperate need of a strong cornerback, there are some concerns about Sherman’s health and age.
Since debuting in 2011, Sherman has become one of the most prominant cornerbacks in the league. He leads the NFL with 32 interceptions since 2011 and is a four-time Pro Bowler. He played a critical part in Seattle’s Super Bowl victory in 2013 and helped the Seahawks to five consecutive playoff appearances.
Yet, the 49ers are expected to be cautious when evaluating Sherman after an Achilles injury sidelined him for the final seven games last season. He finished the year 25 tackles and two interceptions in nine starts.
As far as The Faithful are concerned, it’s unclear if they’ll welcome him with open arms after he played the role of heel during the heated 49ers-Seahawks rivalry from 2011-2014.