The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have signed five-time Pro Bowl cornerback Richard Sherman, the team announced.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that it is a one-year deal for the veteran cornerback.
The 33-year-old said on his show, “The Richard Sherman Podcast,” that he had been in discussions with the Buccaneers for several weeks and multiple teams, including the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers.
“I went with the best offer I had, the best opportunity to go out there and put some great tape on, to lead another group,” Sherman said on his podcast. “I feel comfortable and confident in my abilities to go out there and execute and help that team win.
“This was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up, and I weighed all the options with my wife and family, and this is what we came up with, so I’m ready to strap them back up and go out there and show that these old legs still got some juice.”
Sherman is expected to need one-to-two weeks to be ready to play for the Buccaneers, who are without defensive backs Sean Murphy-Bunting, Jamel Deam and Carlton Davis. Tampa Bay’s pass defence ranks 32nd in the NFL after three games and 17th in yards allowed per pass play.
The former Seahawks and 49ers star was arrested on July 14 for trying to break into his in-laws’ home, and fought with officers who used a police dog to apprehend him. He was released from jail without bail after a judge found probable cause that Sherman committed criminal trespassing, malicious mischief, driving under the influence and resisting arrest.
-With files from the Associated Press.