The minute Sean Murphy-Bunting went down with a dislocated elbow in the season opening win over Dallas, Bucs general manager Jason Licht reached out to veteran cornerback Richard Sherman.

The two have been having conversations over the past couple of weeks that led to Sherman signing with the Bucs on Wednesday after Tampa Bay lost another starting cornerback, Jamel Dean, to a knee injury in Sunday’s 34-24 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Sherman’s one-year deal is expected to be just north of $1.2 million with incentives.

Sherman broke the news on his podcast Wednesday morning, saying, “Obviously, they’re coming off the Super Bowl. They return all their starters. They have a great, veteran team, tons of talent. Obviously, Tom Brady at the helm – you always have a chance.”

Sherman revealed he had discussions with Seattle and San Francisco – two teams he’s played with before – and also Carolina before signing with Tampa Bay. The chance to play with Brady was very appealing to the five-time Pro Bowl and three-time All-Pro cornerback.

CB Richard Sherman and Chiefs TE Travis Kelce – Photo by: USA Today

“He reached out initially and just checked to see if I was in shape,” Sherman said on his podcast. “He and I have had a relationship over the years. He’s a great guy. Very encouraging. Obviously, we had our history, but what happens on the field stays on the field. Off the field, I think we have a very solid relationship. And I think we both thought it would be really cool if we had an opportunity to play together at some point in time. Obviously, with our situations, it didn’t seem likely at any point in time, but he reached out and said they may express interest. And obviously, he wanted to play with me. Then the front office reached out and the conversation started a few weeks ago when they lost their starter, Murphy-Bunting. Then it kind of steamrolled. They got a little more banged up and the conversations continued.

“This was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up … I’m ready to strap ’em back up and go out there and show these legs still got some juice.”

Sherman said he’s stayed in shape and is ready to contribute right away at a Pro Bowl, All-Pro level.

“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. “I feel comfortable and confident in my abilities to execute and help that team win.”

While Todd Bowles’ scheme has some differences to the ones he’s played in with the Seahawks and 49ers, it’s not terribly different. Sherman believes he’s a good fit with the Buccaneers.

“I know his scheme very well, and I think I fit that scheme very well,” Sherman said. “People will have misnomers about players and about schemes and they think they know, ‘Oh, this guy runs this scheme and this guy can’t fit this scheme.’ I think it’s just a lot of fan talk. I’ll be happy to show them how well I fit the scheme.”

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Sherman spent the last three seasons with San Francisco, helping to lead the 49ers to the Super Bowl in 2019. He entered the league as a fifth-round pick (No. 154 overall) by Seattle in the 2011 NFL Draft and played seven seasons in Seattle (2011-17).

Bucs CB Richard Sherman – Photo by: USA Today

Over 139 career regular season games, including 133 starts, Sherman has amassed 484 tackles (12 for loss), 115 passes defensed, 36 interceptions (478 return yards), six fumble recoveries, five forced fumbles, three defensive touchdowns and two sacks. Since entering the league in 2011, Sherman leads the NFL with 36 interceptions, while his 115 passes defensed rank fourth during that span.

In the postseason, Sherman has played in and started 15 games, recording 51 tackles (one for loss), 12 passes defensed, four interceptions and one forced fumble. He has been a starter on three teams that won NFC Championships (2013, 2014 with Seattle; 2019 with San Francisco) and won Super Bowl XLVIII as a member of the Seahawks.

Sherman was selected as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame 2010s All-Decade Team, alongside new Tampa Bay teammates Tom Brady, Antonio Brown, Rob Gronkowski and Ndamukong Suh.