Bucs reached out to Sherman

[Bucsfan83]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/up ... d=msedgntp

With a dark cloud hanging above the Buccaneers’ cornerback room, having lost Sean Murphy-Bunting to an elbow injury for an unknown length of time and now having Carlton Davis banged up, the Bucs appear to be looking in different directions to help shore up their starting lineup in the secondary. That means reaching out to a former Super Bowl champion, a five time Pro Bowler, and a three time All-Pro - Richard Sherman.


According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Bucs have indeed made contact with the free agent cornerback to discuss bringing him in. According to Pelissero, the 49ers and Seahawks are also interested in reunions with Sherman, while the Saints had been interested early in the free agent process but couldn’t come close to one another in terms of compensation.


If Sherman, who is his own agent, is looking to make money then the Bucs won’t be for him. However, if he’s looking to get things back on track while going after another championship he could very well decide that Tampa is the right fit.

Sherman is still dealing with the fallout of a domestic violence issue from July. Sherman has been involved in counseling, seeing a therapist to help him work through his issues. He also pled not guilty to his five misdemeanor charges.

Sherman is back to his playing weight and all signs point to him being able to get on to the field as soon as he signs with a team. However, with him being unable to reach agreements with teams early in free agency due to his high asking price, his options will be extremely limited if he won’t accept less money than he originally wanted to.

With the cap situation being what it is and Sherman’s off-field issues being unresolved, it would be smarter for him to take less money now and prove he can still play before going after bigger money next offseason when the cap jumps up. You would also think that by then all his legal issues will be decided and that distraction would be in the rearview mirror.

Time will tell what is more important to Sherman as far as money or competing for a championship, but the Bucs have officially thrown their hat into the ring to help out the back end of this defense.

UPDATE;
According to ESPN's Ed Werder, the Bucs want to see how their secondary performs today against the Falcons. Based on that, talks with Sherman could intensify in the coming week;

[Caradoc]

I guess talks are going to intensify then

[Terry Tate]

Hmm...my kneejerk reaction is that Sherman is a poor fit here. He is a big, rangy zone corner who at 33 has very questionable speed. Bowles seems to like corners with wheels.

[Rocker]

Count me very squarely in the "No need for an aging CB with degraded skills" camp.

[Caradoc]

Count me very squarely in the "No need for an aging CB with degraded skills" camp.

I'm in the "we have injured corners and lacked talent there to begin with" camp.

[Rocker]

Count me very squarely in the "No need for an aging CB with degraded skills" camp.

I'm in the "we have injured corners and lacked talent there to begin with" camp.

Fair enough. I just don’t see it working here.

There’s a a ton of reasons why I’m not an NFL though.

[King Bootz]

Count me very squarely in the "No need for an aging CB with degraded skills" camp.

I'm in the "we have injured corners and lacked talent there to begin with" camp.

I'm leaning this direction as well. This time last week I would've been a "no way" to Sherman. Now the prognosis on SMB isn't quite as clear, CD3 is hurt, Dean was dinged up a bit yesterday and isn't playing very well, Cockrell absolutely sucks. I don't know who's behind them.

Sherman might not be a fit but desperate times man..

[Defense5599]

Bringing him in would bring leadership to the CB room. The Bucs corners are still young and need a lot of work.

That said, CB would be the top priority in the offseason

[Digital_Damage]

did they ask Brady how he feels about this? LOL

[Swashbuckler]

Bringing him in would bring leadership to the CB room. The Bucs corners are still young and need a lot of work.

That said, CB would be the top priority in the offseason

Not trying to crap on your post but I can't remember a time Sherman actually led anyone or really mentored them. He's just a corner's answer to Warren Sapp. At this point I'd rather us see if we can make it with what we have for another week or explore a trade.

I'd love to be wrong if we make the move for him

[Cheb]

We don't have much money to sign Sherman right now. Different sites have different numbers, but all agree that we have less than a million in space. I would assume that Richard Sherman would cost more than a million dollars.

From a pure football perspective... I don't know. It depends on how Sherman moves and runs at this point in his career. He only played five games last year due to a calf injury, and he didn't look his best self when he was on the field. He is also 33, and unless your name is Darrell Green most corners don't play great ball as they approach their mid-30s. That said, he is incredibly smart on the field and could serve as a valuable asset to a very young position room.

Overall, I'd agree with Bootz on this one, desperate times calling for desperate measures. The biggest problem on this roster right now is at corner, and we should make some reasonable moves to fix it. Sherman could be one of those moves if we can make the money work and he's willing to be reasonable.

Now if we did something like move perpetual tradebait (OJ Howard?) for a decent pick, that could free up plenty of money to make a move on Sherman, and we could get a draft pick for some cheap talent next season when we feel the capcrunch.

Overall I wouldn't love it but wouldn't hate it.

[King Bootz]

@Cheb thank you for bringing up OJ. He absolutely should have been traded and should be dangled to some team for a conditional pick in 2028 if it needs to happen. He has the 8th highest salary on this team this season as the #3 TE. This is a failure for JL on a team in the cap situation that we're in. That money could've gone towards Sherman or some other type of help. That $6mil is crucial right now.

[Noles1724]

with ya @Cheb. Wouldn't love or hate it.

if the front 7 could get a tad more pressure (they're doing a decent job in making the QBs escape a pocket, just need to make it a little more pressing) it would allow Sherman less time to get beat.. but I guess that applies to all DBs.

[BLT]

Do it. Can't hurt.

[IronDog]

We already have our "Domestic Issues" placeholder.

[Primeminister]

Bringing him in would bring leadership to the CB room. The Bucs corners are still young and need a lot of work.

That said, CB would be the top priority in the offseason

Not trying to crap on your post but I can't remember a time Sherman actually led anyone or really mentored them. He's just a corner's answer to Warren Sapp. At this point I'd rather us see if we can make it with what we have for another week or explore a trade.

I'd love to be wrong if we make the move for him

Sherman was a leader in Seattle and in San Francisco. Those 49er DBs spoke about his leadership and how he made them better. There is a clip out there of a young 49er DB getting a pick and excitedly talking to Sherman how it happened “exactly like you said!” because he followed Sherman’s advice.

Sherman is a hell of a leader in the secondary and our young DBs would be lucky to have him and fools not to listen to his advice.

[Snake]

If we do end up with Sherman, who do we cut?

There’s plenty of guys who can get the boot. Vaughn cmon dowwwwwwn!

[King Bootz]

If we do end up with Sherman, who do we cut?

Ross Cockrell.

[vivalaReagan]

@Cheb thank you for bringing up OJ. He absolutely should have been traded and should be dangled to some team for a conditional pick in 2028 if it needs to happen. He has the 8th highest salary on this team this season as the #3 TE. This is a failure for JL on a team in the cap situation that we're in. That money could've gone towards Sherman or some other type of help. That $6mil is crucial right now.

yes, let’s attack the GM who built the super bowl team, re-signed the super bowl team, and didn’t foresee the CB injuries before they happened and traded OJ in advance. genius.

[King Bootz]

@Cheb thank you for bringing up OJ. He absolutely should have been traded and should be dangled to some team for a conditional pick in 2028 if it needs to happen. He has the 8th highest salary on this team this season as the #3 TE. This is a failure for JL on a team in the cap situation that we're in. That money could've gone towards Sherman or some other type of help. That $6mil is crucial right now.

yes, let’s attack the GM who built the super bowl team, re-signed the super bowl team, and didn’t foresee the CB injuries before they happened and traded OJ in advance. genius.

OJ should've been gone long before now. He's not a good football player, can't stay healthy, and he's expensive considering what he produces on the field. His trade value is probably nonexistent quite honestly. He's making north of $6mil this season to be the #3 TE on this team. Very bad resource allocation, anyway you try to slice it.

[kaimaru]

I think Richard Sherman got a rep playing with one of the best safety tandems in NFL history. I like him. I like his personality, but I don't know what he has left in the tank. You would think someone would have picked him up in a CB thirsty league by now.

[Lordnlkon]

yes, let’s attack the GM who built the super bowl team, re-signed the super bowl team, and didn’t foresee the CB injuries before they happened and traded OJ in advance. genius.

OJ should've been gone long before now. He's not a good football player, can't stay healthy, and he's expensive considering what he produces on the field. His trade value is probably nonexistent quite honestly. He's making north of $6mil this season to be the #3 TE on this team. Very bad resource allocation, anyway you try to slice it.

I’m not sure anyone who wanted to give Jameis 75 million guaranteed, is qualified to critique anyone else’s roster decisions.

[King Bootz]

I think Richard Sherman got a rep playing with one of the best safety tandems in NFL history. I like him. I like his personality, but I don't know what he has left in the tank. You would think someone would have picked him up in a CB thirsty league by now.

His legal issues along with his advanced age and recent injury history are why he’s not on a team right now. I’m not sure of what he has in the tank either. But I am 100% sure he can do better in his snaps than Ross Cockrell can.

[Snake]

I think Richard Sherman got a rep playing with one of the best safety tandems in NFL history. I like him. I like his personality, but I don't know what he has left in the tank. You would think someone would have picked him up in a CB thirsty league by now.

He did earn his rep alongside those players. He also went on to be an objectively good player after leaving Seattle. He was a very good player when used correctly as recently as two seasons ago.

Two years ago in the NFL is eons. Doubly so for a post-30 CB with lower body injuries. Add in the off the field stuff…it’s probably over. Are we even sure he’s looking for a job with the personal stuff going on?

Edit: what Bootz said

[vivalaReagan]

yes, let’s attack the GM who built the super bowl team, re-signed the super bowl team, and didn’t foresee the CB injuries before they happened and traded OJ in advance. genius.

OJ should've been gone long before now. He's not a good football player, can't stay healthy, and he's expensive considering what he produces on the field. His trade value is probably nonexistent quite honestly. He's making north of $6mil this season to be the #3 TE on this team. Very bad resource allocation, anyway you try to slice it.

yep, i agree with the above, just not the previous post, which was flippant in ascribing failure to the super bowl winning gm. no team has a perfect salary structure that matches its current on-field productivity, and no gm can foresee injuries and make trades in advance of said injuries. nitpicking one player (whom i believe is still on his rookie contract) is nearsighted when one considers the entire team structure. licht has done a very impressive job.

as you stated, oj has little trade value at the moment but that could change with some post-injury game film.

[King Bootz]

OJ should've been gone long before now. He's not a good football player, can't stay healthy, and he's expensive considering what he produces on the field. His trade value is probably nonexistent quite honestly. He's making north of $6mil this season to be the #3 TE on this team. Very bad resource allocation, anyway you try to slice it.

yep, i agree with the above, just not the previous post, which was flippant in ascribing failure to the super bowl winning gm. no team has a perfect salary structure that matches its current on-field productivity, and no gm can foresee injuries and make trades in advance of said injuries. nitpicking one player (whom i believe is still on his rookie contract) is nearsighted when one considers the entire team structure. licht has done a very impressive job.

as you stated, oj has little trade value at the moment but that could change with some post-injury game film.

Keeping things in perspective, it's fine to say this certain transaction was a failure on Licht's part. It takes nothing away from the overall product on the field. He's done extremely well building this championship winning roster. But that wasnt at all the context of my post. We're a team with less than $1mil in functional cap room and a $6mil+ #3 TE on the roster. That's bad allocation.

[Kress]

Is Gareon Conley healthy? I'm guessing not, because he also seems like a guy somebody would have taken a look at.

[vivalaReagan]

yep, i agree with the above, just not the previous post, which was flippant in ascribing failure to the super bowl winning gm. no team has a perfect salary structure that matches its current on-field productivity, and no gm can foresee injuries and make trades in advance of said injuries. nitpicking one player (whom i believe is still on his rookie contract) is nearsighted when one considers the entire team structure. licht has done a very impressive job.

as you stated, oj has little trade value at the moment but that could change with some post-injury game film.

Keeping things in perspective, it's fine to say this certain transaction was a failure on Licht's part. It takes nothing away from the overall product on the field. He's done extremely well building this championship winning roster. But that wasnt at all the context of my post. We're a team with less than $1mil in functional cap room and a $6mil+ #3 TE on the roster. That's bad allocation.

which transaction was a failure?

[Cheb]

Just remember, as we're now scrambling for secondary depth and talent during a back to back super bowl campaign, Trask is currently collecting dust wearing a ball cap on the sidelines.

Do you think the majority of Green Bay fans were saying the same thing about Aaron Rodgers holding clipboards when Brett Favre was on the field still slinging rockets, or do you think that some of them said that maybe letting the promising youngblood learn at the knee of a Hall of Famer would be a good long-term decision?

[Terry Tate]

Count me very squarely in the "No need for an aging CB with degraded skills" camp.

I'm in the "we have injured corners and lacked talent there to begin with" camp.

Now that is a bit of a stretch. Carlton Davis is a damned good corner and SMB was solid enough as a #2. Even Dean, as maligned as he is, can play brilliantly at time and is a fantastic athlete.

Our corners are under a lot of pressure because of two things. The modern NFL rewards passing a great deal. No one can run on us so they don't try much. That means every team's gameplan coming in is to attack our corners. The injuries just exacerbate that.

[IronDog]

Just remember, as we're now scrambling for secondary depth and talent during a back to back super bowl campaign, Trask is currently collecting dust wearing a ball cap on the sidelines.

Do you think the majority of Green Bay fans were saying the same thing about Aaron Rodgers holding clipboards when Brett Favre was on the field still slinging rockets, or do you think that some of them said that maybe letting the promising youngblood learn at the knee of a Hall of Famer would be a good long-term decision?

Those first 3 little words.

[kaimaru]

Do you think the majority of Green Bay fans were saying the same thing about Aaron Rodgers holding clipboards when Brett Favre was on the field still slinging rockets, or do you think that some of them said that maybe letting the promising youngblood learn at the knee of a Hall of Famer would be a good long-term decision?

If Trask were a highly rated prospect that was projected to go in the top 10 but fell to us, then I'd think different.

But he's not even in the same stratosphere as Rodgers.

And given how well Brady is playing, there's a strong possibility Trask won't even get to play before his rookie deal is up.

The context of our team was not appropriate for spending a high draft pick on a very very mediocre prospect. We're feeling the negative impact of that awful decision right now.

Here is the problem. Arians said in 2019 that we were good in the secondary. After their play during the playoffs, what makes you think a CB was even on their minds unless a highly rated one fell to them at the 64th pick. Even if we hadn't picked Trask, that may have made zero difference to our issue with injuries at CB. You can complain about Trask being THE pick at 32. Personally, I would have rather had Kellen Mond if he's sitting for a few years. However, Trask is exactly who Arians wants in a QB. A guy who can process the field fast.

[Doctor]

I love the idea and I think it's a great fit. Our DBs are young and they could use an experienced guy like Sherman back there as well as a sure tackler. Teams know they can't run at us so they are trying to run around us, Sherman would help a ton with that.

Last year I read how Sherman bet on himself, took on a heavy incentive contract, and won big. Good for him. I'd be super down for a similar one here. You know he wants a second ring.

[Grahamburn]

My favorite exercise. What CB do you take instead of Trask? Even with the benefit of hindsight. 3 were taken in the 3rd round.

Aaron Robinson
Benjamin St. Juste
Paulson Adebo

What if Brady does actually decide to retire after this year? Wouldn’t you want a QB with a year under his belt to be the starter next season? If he doesn’t retire? Great! Bonus.

[acmillis]

GTFO with the “Trask isn’t a highly rated prospect.” Neither was some guy named Brady and he turned out to be decent. Let’s not judge any player until they have taken a single snap. Trask may be the worst qb in the history of the league, but at this point, he’s just as likely to be the best as well.