Seahawks: 5 worst mistakes under coach Pete Carroll
By Lee Vowell
Number four: Letting Richard Sherman walk away
I know. I remember just as much as you do, fellow 12s, that Richard Sherman was way too vocal on the sidelines in his criticism of the Seahawks offense at the end of his tenure. But here is the thing. He was right! Seattle’s offense was not going in a good direction and Pete Carroll actually replaced the offensive coordinator after the 2017 season.
Maybe Sherman was going to be really expensive in the coming years but he was also under contract for the 2018 season. Seattle released him while still under contract and Sherman ended up signing with the San Francisco 49ers. While with the 49ers, Sherman (who still lives in the Seattle area, mind you), was a Pro Bowler in 2019.
Part of the thinking behind releasing Sherman was Shaquill Griffin was ready to become the number one corner and take over Sherman’s position. Griffin wasn’t and wasn’t very good in 2018 (he has the worst grade of any NFL corner in 2018, per Pro Football Focus). Seattle would have been better off keeping Sherman and having Griffin hold down the other outside corner spot.
Richard Sherman is once again a free agent and Seattle would be wise to bring him back. That is unlikely to happen but having Sherman return would partly fix an error made in 2018.