Richard Sherman's days with the Seattle Seahawks may be over, based on social media reaction from his teammates and media reports Wednesday. Nothing was official Wednesday night, but there was a report that Seattle may be a day or two away from releasing him.
Wednesday started with a tweet from teammate Jeremy Lane, stating "That text message got my heart hurting ... damn 25 was my Dawg #WhatsNext"
No. 25 is Sherman’s jersey.
“‘Chancellor of Operations’ Thanks for the name @rsherman25,” Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor posted on Instagram.
A post shared by Kameron Chancellor (@bambamkam) on
Then the reports from NFL Insiders started pouring in, with NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reporting that Sherman had said goodbye to teammates in the past 24 hours and telling them he won't be on the team.
This was all news to Sherman, or so he apparently texted to ESPN's Josina Anderson.
"I'm good. Not sure what that's about...Haven't been told anything," Anderson said Sherman texted her, in reference to Lane's tweet.
After Sherman had a telephone meeting with general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll Wednesday, Rapoport reported that the Seahawks planned to explore trade opportunities for Sherman.
Sports Illustrated's Michael Silver went a step further -- stating the Seahawks were planning to release Sherman in the next few days.
Getting value for Sherman in a trade would prove difficult. Sherman, who will be 30 next season, finished last season on injured reserve after rupturing his right Achilles tendon in November. In addition to surgery on that one, Sherman reportedly had a minor procedure on his left Achilles in recent weeks.
Sherman is entering the final year of his contract in which he's due to make up to $13.2 million. The Seahawks can save $11 million against the salary cap by trading or releasing Sherman, according to OverTheCap.com. They would get nothing in return for a release, so it depends on if a team wants to take on his salary and the question marks about his health.
Sherman has been with the Seahawks since being drafted in the 5th Round in 2011. That low-round selection served as fuel for Sherman, who became arguably the best cornerback in football. He locked down the right side of the defensive secondary for years, helping the Seahawks to a Super Bowl title in 2013 and an NFC title in 2014.
In addition to his stellar play on the field, Sherman has been part of the community off it. His Blanket Coverage Foundation aims to give low-income students access to school supplies and clothes.
But he's come with controversy. Sherman made headlines with his postgame rant following the 2013 NFC Championship Game over the San Francisco 49ers. That led to Sherman being called a "thug," which the Stanford University alum deftly turned into a conversation about race.
Sherman has also been an outspoken critic of the NFL, calling out the seeming hypocrisy of a league that says it is trying to keep players healthy but then makes teams play Thursday night games on three days rest.
The Seahawks reportedly made a deal to trade defensive end Michael Bennett to the Philadelphia Eagles Wednesday in what is seen as a salary cap move.
