Richard Sherman turned down 49ers and Panthers to play with Tom Brady's Buccaneers

Free agent no more! Richard Sherman ended his long (ish) stint as a free agent by signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week.

Dealing with several off-field issues, including five misdemeanor charges, all of which he pleaded guilty to, Sherman was looking at getting back to where he famously made his name, the NFL.

Many thought that Sherman, a five-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl XLVIII winner with the Seattle Seahawks as a member of the vaunted Legion of Boom, would simply head back to the San Francisco 49ers, considering he spent three years with the NFC team from 2018 to 2020.

However, the 33-year-old chose to sign a one-year deal with the reigning Super Bowl champions in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the chance to play with Tom Brady a major factor in his decision.

Sherman to add experience to the Bucs defence

Having had their issues on defense this season after a year in which they simply got after every quarterback - most notably Patrick Mahomes in last year’s Super Bowl - the Bucs defense in 2021 has been a shell of that force.

Giving up 29 points to the Cowboys in Week 1, 25 against the Falcons and 34 against the high-flying LA Rams is not exactly a Super Bowl-winning defense.

Starting corners Jamel Dean and Sean Murphy-Bunting are both injured with knee and elbow injuries, with Sherman's signing serving as cover until both players return.

However, the Bucs weren’t the only team interested in signing Sherman. The 49ers were reportedly interested as Sherman played the last three years with the franchise, but head coach Kyle Shanahan stated on Wednesday that the “timing wasn’t right” to sign the free agent.

The 49ers, like the Bucs, have injuries on defense, particularly in their secondary with Davontae Harris (Week 4 return), Josh Norman (questionable for Week 4) and Jason Verrett (ACL) all out. Options are rather thin for the 49ers secondary.

With Sherman still going through his off-field issues and given that he would need a couple of weeks to get up to speed, Shanahan decided against signing Sherman as they needed someone to come in and play straight away.

With the Carolina Panthers and his former employer, the Seattle Seahawks, both interested in his signature, it was a phone call from Brady that helped sway the veteran.

“He’s the all-time great quarterback reaching out, and anytime he makes that call, it’s a very difficult opportunity to pass up,” Sherman said.

After being recruited by Brady, the Buccaneers have added another serious piece to their Super Bowl puzzle. With Sherman likely to be unavailable for this Sunday’s clash against New England, he could be good to go in Week 5 against the Miami Dolphins.

With Sherman in the Buccaneers secondary, Todd Bowles will be hoping his defense can return to their 2020 form as they terrorize the entire league en route to a Super Bowl win.

If Sherman can emulate his Seahawks form, the Bucs will have added the perfect piece to win back-to-back Super Bowls.