Richard Sherman views himself as one of the most important members of the Seattle Seahawks, but does the team feel the same way? The cornerback is coming off a strong season where he declared himself the best cornerback in the game. Now with a Super Bowl ring on his finger, Sherman would love to get a contract extension this offseason.
According to ProFootballTalk.com, Sherman and the Seahawks have not discussed a contract extension for the cornerback. Sherman is eligible for a new deal on Dec. 29 as he enters the final year of his rookie contract after being drafted in the fifth round of 2011. He is set to earn $1.389 million in 2014 which makes him underpaid considering his production on the field. Normally players of his nature get new deals a year before they expire, but right now Seattle is not making Sherman a priority.
Sherman has not spoken on his expiring contract. To put his salary in perspective, Sherman will make just over a million for an entire season. Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Darrelle Revis will make $1 million per game in 2014.
The Seattle Seahawks are not making Sherman's contract a priority simply because they cannot afford to do so. They team first must take care of pending free agents, Michael Bennett and Earl Thomas. Bennett has made it clear that while he would love to return to Seattle, he will not be accepting any kind of hometown discount on his next contract.
"There is no such thing as discount," Bennett said, via NFL Network. "This isn't Costco. This isn't Walmart. This is real life. There is no discount really because you go out there and you don't give a discount on effort. You go out there and you give the best effort every day and you fight for your teammates, and you want to be compensated for the way that you perform and the kind of teammate you are."
Along with Bennett's new deal, wide receiver Golden Tate is looking to stay with the Seahawks. The receiver has said he would consider taking less money if it meant he could be back with the team long-term. There is also the issue of Russell Wilson needing some more money. His rookie contract is set to expire soon and Seattle does not intend on letting him go.
Seattle is preparing to open their checkbooks this offseason. The team got a lot of production out of players they signed for very cheap contracts and now everyone wants the money they think they deserve. Sherman is just one of many.