Five-time Pro Bowl CB Richard Sherman shares the moment he knew he needed to retire

Richard Sherman’s NFL career ended after a brief stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021, and the cornerback admitted there was one moment when he knew it was all over for him.

Sherman recently said on his podcast that his moment of realization came on Oct. 14, 2021, when he was tasked with covering DeVonta Smith, then a rookie wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles. Smith dominated Sherman so thoroughly that the cornerback realized he could no longer keep up with the game’s young offensive talents.

“DeVonta must’ve run this comeback (route),” Sherman said, via Ed Kracz of Eagles Today. “I had him under control, I was like, bam, quick jam, easy, had him under control. He must’ve stopped and I tried to stop and my whole groin said, ‘Snap, snap, snap, snap,’ and I said, ‘Whoa, whoa.’”

Sherman found himself desperately hoping that the Eagles would not target Smith, and it made him realize he was playing in his final season.

“At that moment I was like yeah, this is probably my last year. I don’t got it for these young dudes right here,” Sherman said.

At the time, Sherman said his injury was the result of trying to do too much too soon. In retrospect, it sounds like there was more at play. He wound up playing five games in a minor role that year and has not played since. Apparently Smith is the one to blame for that.