10 July 2023 , 17:46
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NFL legend Richard Sherman has revealed a telling encounter with DeVonta Smith made him realise his retirement was imminent.
The former Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers cornerback never officially retired but last played back in 2021, turning out for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where he played just five games, including three starts. It was, of course, during his time with the Seahawks that he established himself as one of the most dominant defensive players of recent years, forming part of the feared " Legion of Boom".
His contributions were beyond recourse in 2013, leading the NFL in interceptions as the team wrote its name into history by triumphing over the Denver Broncos to win the Super Bowl. His time in Washington State would eventually come to an end in 2018 when he was surprisingly moved on.
From there, Sherman moved to the San Francisco 49ers, before leaving three years later for the Bucs for what turned out to be his NFL final campaign. The 35-year-old has since taken up punditry duties as part of Amazon Prime Video’s "Thursday Night Football" coverage last year and has previously asserted he does not envisage a return to the NFL.
Now, as part of an interview with Philadelphia Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson, Sherman has now opened up on one of the key moments which ultimately influenced his decision to finish playing. The former cornerback explained the physical demands of facing younger, athletic opponents were becoming increasingly punishing.
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Explaining the experience of covering receiver DeVonta Smith told him his body could no longer cope after over a decade of covering routes at the highest level. He said: “DeVonta [Smith] 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'."
DeVonta Smith of the Philadelphia Eagles (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)Sherman went on to explain he realised he would probably not play on for much longer, adding: “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.'”
The Californian's feelings were pretty prophetic in the end as he went on to spend the next two months sidelined with injury, with two further games late in the season eventually proving to be the last of his career.