Richard Sherman Announces Next Team; Joining Tom Brady, Buccaneers

Richard Sherman is heading to Florida.

The veteran defensive back announced Wednesday morning that he will be signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

For a few reasons, the writing had been on the wall for Sherman to join forces with the Bucs. For one, there has been mutual admiration between Sherman and Tom Brady for years, and despite their slew of hard-fought battles, they seemed like they would be great teammates. Perhaps more importantly, he worked out for the Bucs earlier in the week.

Sherman’s best days of football are behind him, so it’s not totally clear how big of a role he’ll serve with the Bucs, at least right away. That said, he most definitely fills a need, as Bucs corner Sean Murphy-Bunting dislocated his elbow and is on injured reserve.

There is off-the-field uncertainty too. Sherman was arrested for a domestic violence incident that allegedly included him crashing and abandoning his car while intoxicated and attempting to break into his in-laws’ home. He was alleged to have attempted fighting police officers before getting subdued by a police dog. He was charged with five misdemeanors, all of which he pled not guilty to while also expressing remorse in an Instagram post.

The Bucs travel to New England to face Brady’s former team, the Patriots, on Sunday night.