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Richard Sherman could be headed to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers six months after becoming a free agent. The defending Super Bowl champions would be a nice fit for the five-time Pro Bowl and three-time first-team All-Pro cornerback, who can end his career with a team that will likely be playing well into January ... at least.
The San Francisco 49ers have cornerback problems of their own. The team failed to properly address the position's depth this offseason, and early injuries have exposed the flaws. Starter
Jason Verrett is out for the season due to a torn ACL. Josh Norman visited the hospital over the weekend after spitting up blood following a collision with a Green Bay Packers player. He has a lung contusion, per head coach Kyle Shanahan.
Still, there is a possibility that Norman could play this weekend when
Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks visit. His availability is far from a certainty, though.
Former 49ers safety Donte Whitner, now an analyst for NBC Sports Bay Area and CBS Sports, thinks a Sherman-Niners reunion makes sense, given the circumstances. Of course, that would be dependent on Sherman not signing with the Buccaneers.
How long would it take for Sherman to get reacclimated with the 49ers' defense? The analyst doesn't believe it would take too long at all.
"I would say two weeks," Whitner said on KNBR's
Papa & Lund show. "You give him a week in practice. He already understands the verbiage. He understands the terminology. He understands the plays. He understands the system probably better than the defensive coordinator, DeMeco Ryans. And that's not a knock against DeMeco Ryans. It's so long that Richard Sherman has been in this defense."
Sherman spent the past three seasons with the 49ers. Before that, he spent seven seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, who run a similar defense.
"He's been a leader in the defense," Whitner continued. "He instantly upgrades your secondary and your defense. I think he's the perfect person to bring in, and it will be a great story to end his career.
"You have a storied career, you have a meltdown in the offseason, teams don't want you, you come back, perform well, help the 49ers reach the playoffs, have individual success. A great story for Richard Sherman to end his career."
Of course, none of this matters if Sherman signs with the Buccaneers this week. It doesn't sound like the 49ers have been too eager to add the veteran cornerback.
"Right now,
we feel good about where we are at, but Sherm's added a lot to this place over the years," general manager John Lynch said last week. "We'll forever be grateful for that, and who knows? We could need him down the road. So, those are kind of the conversations we've had."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Whitner below.
H/t to Marc Adams for the find.
Analyst Dane Brugler recently revealed his seven-round mock draft for The Athletic, forecasting all 257 selections in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft, set to kick off next week.
"Piecing together a mock like this is time consuming, but I enjoy the exercise, because it allows me to focus on each team's needs, organizational trends and prospect-team pairings that make sense based on '30' visits, league buzz and overall interest," Brugler wrote.
Most expect the 49ers to address the trenches early in the draft, and Brugler has the team doing that. It's just not on the offensive side of the football. In fact, Brugler doesn't have San Francisco
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
The San Francisco 49ers are hosting several draft prospects this week as the deadline for pre-draft visits draws near. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the team will host former Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley on Wednesday.
Corley is expected to be a Day 2 pick. San Francisco owns two selections on Day 2—the No. 63 overall pick in the second round and the No. 94 overall pick in the third round. Currently, the receiver is visiting with the Seattle Seahawks.
Western Kentucky @WKUFootball receiver Malachi Worley
Ian Rapoport didn't offer much of an update on the ongoing contract negotiations between the San Francisco 49ers and their standout wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk. However, the NFL insider emphasized one thing: The team is not entertaining trade discussions at this juncture.
Reacting to Aiyuk's decision to unfollow the 49ers on Instagram, Rapoport couldn't help but chuckle at the latest development. This practice has become commonplace among players who are unhappy with their contract situations. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel similarly took this action in 2022 before requesting to be traded just before the draft.
Things have yet to escalate that far with Aiyuk, but Rapoport sees his
