Chicago Bears: Is signing Richard Sherman a realistic possibility?

With the departure of Kyle Fuller, the Chicago Bears have a glaring lack of depth in their defensive back room. They did sign Desmond Trufant, but truth be told, that just means the top two defensive backs in the Bears secondary are extremely injury prone. The Bears do have a lot of talented young guys as backups, but not anyone they could reliably turn to when they need to lock down a big-time wide receiver in a crucial moment.

Richard Sherman, still a free agent, recently said on the Around the NFL Podcast, that he’s waiting for the right opportunity to sign with a contender.

Sherman, who is 33 years old, could be a much-needed addition to the Chicago Bears secondary. Pro Football Focus even has Richard Sherman ranked as the 11th best cornerback going into the NFL next season. While I did have a number of issues with that list, most of them were concerned with their rankings of the bottom half of defensive backs.

For the Chicago Bears, Richard Sherman would be able to provide stability in the event of any injury as he can line up on anyone on an opposing offense. He would be a great mentor to all the young Bears players in the secondary like Jaylon Johnson, Kindle Vildor, and Duke Shelley.

Additionally, Sherman has proved to be relatively durable throughout his career. He only played in five games in 2020, but played in 14 and 15 games in 2018 and 2019, respectively. In fact, there have only been two seasons in his career where he did not play at least 14 games. The Chicago Bears need a player of his caliber and durability to replace Kyle Fuller who has not missed a game since 2014.

The only question left to ask is, does Richard Sherman consider the Chicago Bears a contender following the addition of Justin Fields?

When Richard Sherman was on the Cris Collinsworth podcast earlier this year leading up to the draft, they discussed who the 49ers should take with the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

"“I think people are missing out on the big picture and they’ve had this huge discussion about black quarterbacks and how they’re kind of stereotyped in, they’re not the hard worker, they’re athletic…and that’s what they’re pigeonholing Justin Fields a bit because he is. one of the most efficient, if not the most efficient quarterback in this class…I think Justin Fields is the one” – Richard Sherman on the Cris Collinsworth Podcast"

He went on to also describe everything else all Chicago Bears fans knew they were receiving the minute they drafted Justin Fields – the accuracy, consistency, success against a high level of competition, and the intangibles that make him a winner. It’s clear that Richard Sherman definitely believes in Justin Fields’ ability to be a franchise quarterback.

If Sherman truly believes in Fields, then the Chicago Bears make all the sense in the world as a place for him to sign. Signing Richard Sherman would give him the chance to chase another ring as he did in Seattle when their young QB, Russell Wilson was on his rookie contract. Judging by his comments on Justin Fields, it appears evident that the Chicago Bears would qualify as a contender with whom he should consider signing.