Richard Sherman didn’t officially retire when he joined Amazon Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football coverage team last year.
Nor did Sherman announce his retirement on his recent podcast, but without all the pomp and histrionics, it seems as though the five-time Pro Bowler has called it a playing career.
Amid an interview with Philadelphia Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson, Sherman recalled trying to cover Philly wide receiver DeVonta Smith, hearing a snap and admitting to himself that 2021 was likely his last season.
“DeVonta must have ran this comeback, and I had him under control, you know what I mean? I was like, ‘Bang, quick jam, easy, got him under control.’ He must have stopped, and I tried to stop. My whole groin says, ‘Snap, snap, snap, snap.’ I said, ‘Oh, whoa. Whoa.’ And then you’re trying to guard him, you’re like chasing him around, like please don’t throw him the ball,” Sherman said. “Our coach was looking at me on the sidelines, like, ‘You want to come out? You want to come out?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, but they’re in a hurry-up.’ So, I’m like bailing out. At that moment, I was like, ‘Yeah, this is probably my last year. I don’t got it for these young dudes right now.'”
Sherman and Johnson were mid-conversation, discussing players taking care of their bodies and how their approaches change as the seasons stack up. Still, how Sherman casually mentions the phrase “probably my last year,” seems to indicate the Stanford alum will be a permanent fixture going forward in the broadcast and podcast world outside the lines.