Former Browns OL Joe Thomas Doubles Down on Assessment of Richard Sherman’s 49ers Contract

Richard Sherman was named an All-Pro and that triggered another bonus in his incentive-laden contract he negotiated without an agent. That process gained him a few critics at the time, including former NFL player Joe Thomas.

The current 49er called out the former Brown, among others, on Twitter today after successfully netting a handful of incentives. Instead of stand down from his past criticism, Thomas decided to double down. He began by pointing out the lofty feats Sherman had to achieve in order to earn that extra money.

Sherman had to:
1) play every game
2) play 90% of snaps
3) make PB
4) make AP All-Pro
to:
Make $13mm which means he’s tied for 10th highest paid corner
— Joe Thomas (@joethomas73) January 3, 2020

Sherman had to feature in all 16 games, play 90% of the team's defensive snaps, make the Pro Bowl and earn All-Pro honors in order to earn a total of $13 million in 2019. As Thomas dutifully points out, that makes Sherman the 10th highest-earning cornerback in the league.

Based on the season Sherman just had for the Niners, he's certainly worth more than that.

Thomas also notes that Sherman isn't headed back to the open market in search of a new deal. The veteran corner won't hit free agency until after the 2020 season.

...and part of the problem with tying financial incentives to “all-pro” or “pro bowl” is that it’s a flawed system that doesn’t accurately reflect your performance or value to the team, in some instances. See below tweet: @fbgchase pic.twitter.com/qv4KnBmh9j
— Joe Thomas (@joethomas73) January 3, 2020

So, even though it all worked out for Sherman in the end, Thomas backed up his previous statements and reiterated how the contract the Stanford product negotiated for himself was a big gamble, with a less than worthwhile payday.

Sherman seems to disagree.