San Francisco 49ers hoping to get the final rose from Richard Sherman

The San Francisco 49ers, looking to upgrade a young secondary thin on impact players, are courting a former hated rival and antagonist.

The San Francisco 49ers are wasting absolutely no time in getting their paws on cornerback Richard Sherman.

Though expected, the official announcement that he’d been released by the Seahawks had barely come across the wire, and HC Kyle Shanahan was already wining and dining Sherman and his wife at a restaurant in Los Gatos on Friday.

And let’s not forget that at the same time, they seem to be going hard in the Trumaine Johnson sweepstakes as well.

Welcome to The Bachelor – 49ers edition.

Sherman is expected to continue his visit with the 49ers on Saturday, as he kicks off his whirlwind tour of possible landing spots. A whirlwind tour GM John Lynch and Shanahan are hoping doesn’t stray too far from Santa Clara.

Some are already speculating that a deal will be struck as early as Saturday if both parties are talking the same language and appear to be on the same page.

Cornerback has been identified as one of San Francisco’s biggest areas of need heading into the offseason, given the mediocre play of the unit in 2017.

The 49ers are very thin and inexperienced at the position. They basically have now-second year man Ahkello Witherspoon and – well – not much else. K’Waun Williams will likely be the team’s slot corner in 2018, but that may have more to do with lack of options than stellar play.

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Which brings us to Richard Sherman.

The veteran corner has long been considered one of the best at his position. And the 49ers are well acquainted with his aggressive, physical, in your face, style of play. Sherman has been a thorn in San Francisco’s backside for a long time, denying them wins, and trolling them mercilessly.

But, this is football and given that only wins matter, the organization (and very likely the fans) will be more than willing to put that colorful history behind them in favor of a player who can help elevate the defense as a whole.

There is no denying Sherman’s talent. With 377 tackles (286 solo), 32 interceptions, and 104 passes defensed, Sherman has been one of the most dominant corners in the league ever since the Seahawks made him a fifth-round selection in 2011.

He’s also been highly durable over his seven years in the league. Prior to 2017, Sherman had played in every single game since he was drafted – a span of 96 games with 90 starts. That string of consecutive games played though, was snapped last season when Sherman blew out his Achilles Tendon nine games into the year.

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Which is going to be the sticking point between Sherman and any other potential free agent suitor – is he healthy enough to play? And not just play, but be as dominant as he’s been over his career?

We’ve seen guys come back from Achilles injuries plenty of times before. Oakland Raiders receiver Michael Crabtree is but one example of a guy who’s rebounded from the injury to play at a high level. Sherman should be no different.

Although the 49ers, with an abundance of room under the cap, will be able to throw plenty of money at him, one thing Sherman will no doubt be factoring into his decision will be how close the team is to contending for a title. He’s already made his preference for joining a winner known.