Richard Sherman wants respect and he believes that comes in the form of dollar signs. The cornerback is up for a contract extension this offseason before he becomes a free agent. The Seahawks have zero intentions of letting Sherman hit the open market, but still have a long ways to go before getting a contract agreed upon. Sherman is hopeful things get taken care of, but has no plans of letting Seattle get away with a pay cut.
"Whatever they feel I am due. I will take it as respect," Sherman said, via NFL Network. "It's all about respect in this game and the only way people show respect is the dollars. We'll see what happens."
The two parties have been in talks for the past week in hopes of getting Sherman signed before training camp. According to ESPN's Ed Werder, Sherman and the Seahawks are nowhere close to agreeing on terms as the cornerback enters the final year of his rookie contract. Sherman is scheduled to make $1.4 million next season and as one of the best secondary players in the game, he is severely underpaid.
Currently, Darrelle Revis will make $12 million next season with the New England Patriots. In comparison, Sherman had the better season with 18 pass deflections and eight interceptions including the game winning one against the San Francisco 49ers. Sherman is expected to command a salary larger than his fellow cornerback, but do the Seahawks have the ability to sign him to that number?
Seattle is also beginning talks to get quarterback Russell Wilson signed to a new deal as he approaches free agency in 2016. Now is the season to get Wilson to a deal before he goes off and propels the Seahawks back into the playoffs. Wilson stresses that he has not approached the Seahawks about getting a new contract and that any interest on that topic is coming from the team and not him.
"I speak for myself. I never demanded or asked for a restructured contract," Wilson said, via NFL.com.
Right now, Wilson is the third-highest paid quarterback on the team behind Tarvaris Jackson and newly acquired Terrelle Pryor. He may have a Super Bowl ring to his name, but as the 75th overall pick, he did not exactly get a huge contract. He is set to earn $662,434 next season and $798,651 in 2015. Talk about a deal.
Along with Sherman and Wilson, Earl Thomas is approaching the final year of his contract. The safety paired well in the backfield with the cornerback and the Seahawks are in need of holding on to him. Sherman might want a marquee deal, but Seattle has a lot of contracts up in the next two years and must be smart.
