"I'm the best corner in the game! When you try me with a sorry receiver like Crabtree, that's the result you gonna get."
Meet Richard Sherman. He's the type of corner National Football League fans dream of. He's a trash-talking Pro Bowler who backs his mouth with his brains and his brains with his body. For opposing teams, Richard 'Optimus Prime' Sherman is a nightmare. But for Seattle Seahawks fans, Sherman in his prime was a dream come true.
Sherman won a Super Bowl in Seattle with the "Legion of Boom." He's struck gold in San Francisco, making the Compton-raised Sherman a certified millionaire. What is his interception-snagging net worth in 2021, and how did he get so wealthy?
Richard Sherman Football Career
Richard Kevin Sherman was born in Compton, California, in the late '80s. Beverly and Kevin Sherman raised Richard and his older brother Branton to stay out of trouble. The Shermans found glory on the gridiron when both brothers played for the Dominguez High School football team.
Richard Sherman's wide receiver play earned him a scholarship to Stanford University. The American football player began his college football career as a wideout for Jim Harbaugh. This relationship would haunt Sherman for years to come.
A knee injury forced Sherman to redshirt midway through his college career. Sherman returned as a cornerback and helped the Stanford Cardinal to a school-record 12-1 season in 2010. During their campaign, an Andrew Luck-led Stanford squeaked a narrow win over in-state rival USC.
Sherman capped his career off with an Orange Bowl victory over Virginia Tech. Sherman was a multi-sport-First-Team-student-athlete at Stanford, winning titles with the track and field team as well.
The Seattle Seahawks selected Sherman with the 154th overall pick in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. His draft class was a top-heavy one that featured Cam Newton, Von Miller, A.J. Green, Julio Jones and J.J. Watt. Sherman made an immediate impact on the already-loaded Seahawks defense.
He made the All-Pro team in 2012 and started in the Super Bowl XLVIII victory one season later, defeating the Denver Broncos 43-8. Sherman was an influencing factor in the final score, helping limit Peyton Manning to a single touchdown.
Let us never forget that time Richard Sherman went off on Michael Crabtree while a terrified Erin Andrews stood next to him. pic.twitter.com/graJKFvxg5
— gifdsports (@gifdsports) March 9, 2018
Sherman's Seahawks never sailed so high again, losing the following Super Bowl XLIX to Tom Brady's New England Patriots and then getting knocked out of the playoffs by the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons, in that order. In 2018, the 'Hawks released their four-time Pro Bowl corner. He signed with the 49ers.
Since 2018, San Fran Sherman has helped Kyle Shanahan get back on track. A year after moving to the Bay, Sherman lost Super Bowl LIV to a ketchup-fueled Patrick Mahomes and his Kansas City Chiefs. Despite high expectations, they didn't make the playoffs in 2020.
Sherman was listed as injured with a calf strain for most of the season, and as of June 2021, the giant corner has yet to sign a new contract with SF. Recent reports suggest Sherman will sign elsewhere unless San Francisco can prove themselves a "title contender."
Personal Life & Public Feuds
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RELATED: Richard Sherman's Classic Postgame Rant Stunned Erin Andrews
The professional football cornerback's only Super Bowl victory coincided neatly with the birth of his son. Later that year, Sherman asked Ashley Moss to marry him. She said yes, they had another child a year later and finally wed in 2018. Ashley Lillian Sherman is now Sherman's wife and mother of his two children, son Rayden Sherman & daughter Avery.
Ashley and Richard run a charity named Blanket Coverage as part of the Richard Sherman Family Foundation. The organization provides clothing and supplies to children in low-income areas like Compton, Sherman's birthplace.
Richard Sherman is a rare mix of raw athleticism and intelligence. His resulting demeanor can flash from respectful to brash, depending on Sherman's motives. He's well-known for trashing opponents like Michael Crabtree verbally and in the NFC Championship. His gift of gab has landed him in controversy occasionally, but Sherman always seems to know what he's doing. The talkative corner regularly contributes content to The Players' Tribune.
Brawn & brain guys like Sherman are always polarizing yet attention-grabbing, sort of like the cover corner's style of play. The All-Pro DB landed on the cover of "Madden" in 2015, one of his many lucrative endorsement deals.
Richard Sherman Net Worth
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According to Celebrity Net Worth, Richard Sherman's estimated net worth is $40 million in 2021. Estimates vary depending where you look, but it's safe to say the 33-year-old cornerback is worth a lot.
Sherman has made over $82 million in NFL contracts alone. His most notable contract was a four-year, $56 million extension in Seattle with a likewise advantageous signing bonus. Sherman owns real estate in Yorba Linda, California and in Maple Valley, Washington; the latter estate he purchased for $2.3 million from former NBA Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford.
The Stanford alumnus invests in cryptocurrency as any good San Franciscan should. He's also invested in Fan Controlled Football (FCF), a modern take on the NFL. Sherman is co-owner of the Glacier Boyz, the runner-up team in the league's inaugural playoff. Sherman also profits from endorsements with Nike, Wonderful Pistachios (though his contract expired in 2020, I imagine he still has some money saved up from that deal), T-Mobile, Oberto, Body Armor, Beats by Dr. Dre, Dominos Pizza and Campbell's Soup.
NFL cornerback Richard Sherman has yet to sign a new contract extension with the San Francisco 49ers in June 2021. He's sure to continue his career in the Bay or elsewhere as this ten-year vet still has a lot of fight left in him. The longer he plays, the further he separates himself (and his bank account) from the competition. The more Sherman speaks, the more he can afford to do so.
