5 free agents the Carolina Panthers should avoid in 2021

Richard Sherman – CB

• 2020 team: San Francisco 49ers

Richard Sherman is another who was widely considered as one of the more exceptional cornerbacks to step onto the gridiron in recent years. The Super Bowl winner was part of the Seahawks’ legendary Legion of Boom defense when Carolina Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer was part of the staff, so although there is an obvious link between the two, they need to hold off on a possible reunion.

Sherman turned out in just five games for the Niners in 2020 during a luckless run that saw plenty of established stars miss a considerable period of time for Kyle Shanahan’s men. This played a significant role in the 2019 NFC champions failing to make the postseason and might trigger a roster overhaul in pursuit of getting back to prominence.

This would leave Sherman on the outside looking in.

But providing he comes back from injury to a satisfactory level, he might have a couple more years of solid production left.

Although this might be a tempting proposition for the Panthers, they should eventually pass even though the discussion will be had at some point.

Sherman is also a controversial figure in the locker room who can rub people up the wrong way – even if this is largely down to a fierce will to win and high demands of his teammates – which is something else to consider with a young roster who are all developing together.