San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman said this week that his Achilles, which he ruptured during a game in November, feels great and he plans to be ready for training camp. He even posted a video on Instagram of himself running on the practice field for the first time since suffering the injury.
The 49ers don't want to rush Sherman's recovery. Instead, they want to ensure that he is healthy enough to play in 2018.
San Francisco signed Sherman to a three-year deal before the start of free agency and just a day after the Seattle Seahawks released the four-time Pro Bowl selection and three-time first-team All-Pro. His contract, which is rich with incentives, protects the 49ers should Sherman not return to his previous level of play. Of course, if Sherman does, the cornerback stands to make a lot of money – up to $39.15 million – and meeting those incentives means he will be worth every penny.
On Friday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network provided yet another injury update on Sherman. He pointed out that the video posted on Wednesday shows the cornerback running a straight line, which is one of the early things that players who are coming off a significant leg injury can do.
"I texted with Richard Sherman this morning," Pelissero said. "He told me he is also able to cut right now. He's doing a lot of different things. He says his rehab is going phenomenal. The one thing he hasn't done yet is stop. In other words, sprint and then put those breaks on. That's one of the last things that's going to come.
"He told me a couple of months ago that he expected that he would be cleared around minicamp time, so we're talking about mid-June. Well, you're starting to get closer and closer to that, but the 49ers are taking a conservative approach here. At this point, Sherman remains confident by training camp, and certainly, by the regular season, which ultimately is what matters, he will be ready."
Ian Rapoport also voiced his thoughts on Sherman's recovery.
"Usually Tom, this is not a big deal," he said. "Achilles tears are not something that teams really sweat out. Players often make a full recovery. But for Richard Sherman, this does have a monetary implication. He gets $2 million as far as a roster bonus when he passes the physical in training camp. This was part of his original deal. Something that the 49ers essentially deferred until he was healthy. He is expected to be healthy, so he's probably going to get it. But still, (it's) an important checkpoint."
RELATED Richard Sherman has until Week 11 to pass physical to earn bonus, per report
Rapoport is correct that the $2 million roster bonus kicking in at training camp, if healthy, was part of Sherman's initial deal with the 49ers. Ben Volin of the Boston Globe, however, reported on April 29 that the NFL Players Association stepped in after the contract was agreed to and asked for that aspect of the deal to be renegotiated.
"Sherman's contract with the 49ers, which he negotiated himself, initially called for him to earn a $2 million bonus if he passes the team physical by the third day of training camp," wrote Volin. "But after the contract was agreed to, the NFL Players Association stepped in and asked the 49ers to renegotiate that clause in good faith, as Sherman is coming back from a ruptured Achilles' tendon. Sherman now has until the end of Week 11 to pass the physical and earn his bonus, which happens to be the 49ers' bye week."
Regardless of which report is accurate, Sherman expects to be ready for the start of the 2018 season.
"I fully expect to be ready for all 16 (games), and I expect to play at a high level," Sherman said. "I've never not played at a high level if I'm playing and I expect that to continue."
