Neo Workxx » It’s been nearly a year since the Seattle Seahawks made the

surprise move of cutting All Pro cornerback Richard Sherman following his Achilles injury during the 2017 season Justin Britt Color Rush Jersey , and Sherman’s subsequent quick signing with the division rival San Francisco 49ers. Immediately following the signing there was a lot of amusement from outsiders, who pointed to the small amount of guaranteed money that Sherman received, as well as the overall structure of the contract. So, now that Sherman is a year into that contract and looking at coming into 2019 as a healthier, but even older cornerback, let’s take a look at the contract and see how it stacks up. In order to look at his contract with the benefit of a year of hindsight, let’s go ahead and take a look at where his contract stacks up compared to other cornerbacks in terms of cash flow. 2018 NFL CBs by cash flowPlayerCash FlowAgeNumberPlayerCash FlowAgeNumberNow, obviously, Sherman likely doesn’t see himself as the 20th best cornerback in the NFL, but that’s where his cash flow for the 2018 season ranked him compared to other cornerbacks. However, of note is the simple fact that Sherman played the 2018 season at 30 years of age, and is slated to turn 31 at the end of March. Thus, with cornerbacks often seeing their performance take a nose dive after age 30, let’s compare Sherman’s contract in 2018 and 2019 to only those cornerbacks who are 30 or older. The reason to use cash flow instead of cap hits is the simple fact that at Sherman’s age cash flow is king. Sherman is most likely far closer to the end of his playing days than the beginning, so his goal is to make as much money as possible in however many years of playing in the NFL he has left. Thus, the best measure for how much money he makes is obviously cash flow. That said, the table above doesn’t really paint a fair picture for Sherman because it is comparing him to every other cornerback in the league. To get a clearer picture of where Sherman’s contract stacks up to others in his position, we should whittle the sample down to players who are most similar to him. That means looking at the geriatric division of NFL cornerbacks, and for that I’ll simply use the post-30 shelf. Thus, if we do that, we can get remove all the cornerbacks on the list who are in their twenties. That leaves us with the following. 2018 Cash flow for over 30 CBsPlayerCash FlowAgeNumberPlayerCash FlowAgeNumberA top five cash flow for his age is not all that bad. Actually Nazair Jones Color Rush Jersey , the fact that he had a top five cash flow for his age group coming off of a devastating injury like a torn Achilles is actually rather impressive. But how does his contract stack up for 2019? Using the same cash flow metric, here is where things currently stand. 2019 cash flow for NFL CBsPlayerCash FlowAgeNumberPlayerCash FlowAgeNumberObviously, with Sherman coming in at seventeenth, that would seem to make him a middle of the road CB1, but let’s go ahead and see where he stacks up in the old man division. 2019 cash flow for over 30 CBsPlayerCash FlowAgeNumberPlayerCash FlowAgeNumberSo, before free agency he is slated to have the sixth highest cash flow of any over 30 cornerback in the NFL next year. Not too shabby, so that brings us to the question of whether any of the free agent cornerbacks slated to be 30 or over could land a big contract in the offseason and bump Sherman down the list a little. A quick glance at the list of available free agents shows a couple of guys that could potentially do so, but in all likelihood Sherman will hold on to his spot in sixth place. Then the question moves to Sherman’s upside. Sherman’s contract is heavily incentive laden, and there are several ways Sherman could actually move up the list. If he is active in every game and plays at least 90% of the defensive snaps for the Niners, he’ll make an additional $1.25M. That would bump his cash flow up to $10.05M, which would put him top three in the over 30 group. That may or may not be possible at 31, we’ll have to wait and see, but he played well in 2018 and Niners fans likely believe he’ll be even better with another year of recovery under his belt. And, if he is able to recover to the point where he continues to improve, he still has the outside chance of earning an additional $3M in incentives between the Pro Bowl or the All Pro team. In any case, that brings us to the question about how his contract was looked at as being such a bad deal when it was signed if it is providing him top five or top six cash flow for those his age. The reason for that is simple - structure. Sherman’s contract appears to be working out well, but that wasn’t necessarily guaranteed to him when he signed it. The contract had very little in terms of guarantees, and Sherman likely could have earned similar cash flow with better guarantee protections had he used an agent. Effectively, instead of taking guarantees, Sherman bet on himself. He didn’t bet on himself at the blackjack table when the count was in his favor, he bet on himself at the craps table where the risk was far greater. So far the contract has turned out okay for him 12th Fan Color Rush Jersey , and if the Niners don’t cut him, then he’s in line to make decent money again in 2019. It is certainly not great money, unless he manages to make both the Pro Bowl and is an All Pro, but it’s likely not much less than he could have made with an agent. That then brings the discussion to the question of whether it is the process or the result that is more important. Sherman is among the highest paid over-30 cornerbacks as the result of a less than ideal process, so should his contract be applauded or mocked? Is the actual outcome more important than the expected outcome, or should it still be looked at as a success even though arrived at through a manner which introduced unnecessary uncertainty? The best we can do without a time machine" />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesHorizontal - WhiteField Gullsa Seattle Seahawks communityLog In or Sign UpLog InSign UpFanpostsFanshotsSectionsSeahawksOddsAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 322 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections VideosCoffee and CigarettesGame AnalysisThe Numbers GameCigar ThoughtsFiled under:NFL DraftThe Offseason2019 NFL DraftSeahawks draft grades: Process, not resultsNew,36commentsPDTShareTweetShareShareSeahawks draft grades: Process, not resultsChristopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY SportsWith my time machine in the shop after multiple (failed) attempts to reverse the ending of Super Bowl XLIX, I am unable to grade in advance the careers of all 11 men drafted this week by the Seattle Seahawks.What is slightly less impossible, is examining a few of the goals the Seattle front office might have had going into the 2019 NFL Draft. There’s no way to know if they picked the right players. But we can tell, sort of, if they put themselves in position to do so.Grades for six processes (not all of them completely serious) follow.Process Goal 1: Acquire a mother lode of picks from a position of weaknessGrade: AYeah, going in to the draft with four picks on Monday morning, then five picks on Thursday, left John Schneider in something of a bind. The Seahawks know what they prefer — having more picks, so they can play the percentages. Like it or not, that’s their plan, and unlike some front offices, everyone is on the same page.Can you imagine Schneider making only five selections in a single draft? I mean, realistically? Seattle has picked less than nine times only once under this front office Tyler Lockett Color Rush Jersey , when they took eight guys in 2015.To go from two firsts and three mid-rounders to four picks in the top 88 plus seven more choices while trading up in the second round and futhermore, adding a seventh to nab the collegiate leader in receiving TDs: that’s the best process one could have hoped for out of the Seahawks, and they delivered.Process Goal 2: Take advantage of a strong class in DE/EDGE to replace lost productionGrade: CThis isn’t a D because as the Seahawks continued to pass on edge rushers (get it? get it?) round after round after round, one thing became apparent: they aren’t going to rely exclusively on the draft to make up for losing Frank Clark.They’ve got approximately $26 million in cap space, they’ve been extensively linked to free agent Ziggy Ansah, and they’re going to test the undrafted waters too. The problem, of course, is twofold: the 2019 class was thought to be exceptionally deep in pass rushers, and there are no guarantees in free agency. It’s somewhat of a gamble for Schneider & Co. to replace Frank Clark’s presence in marketplaces over which the team has incomplete control. The results could still pan out, but the process leaves something to be desired, just by virtue of the uncertainty.Process Goal 3: Stock up on receiversGrade: AWe didn’t know Process Goal 3 was quite as serious until the draft began. We’d heard the whispers of Doug Baldwin’s uncertain future and we’d theorized that Seattle would have a hard time attracting free agent pass-catchers because Pete Carroll’s idea of offensive balance is actually a 50-50 split. Well, the Baldwin situation sure looks like it sent the Seahawks into overdrive.When you take three of any position in any one draft, it’s the most obvious indication possible that you saw a dire need there, either immediate or in a more medium term. The Seahawks decided they needed receivers, and the ones they chose:represent one of the most vertical threats in the whole draft — enter D.K. Metcalf and his 21.9 yards per receptionscored 13 touchdowns last year and averaged 1,000 yards as an upperclassman — that would be Gary Jenningsled college football with 16 TD receptions — Hawaii’s John Ursua.No fan wants to contemplate the end of the Doug Baldwin era in Seattle. Schneider and Carroll were forced to, and they responded. They took three times as many WR as RB. What’s best about relying on homegrown receivers is that with Russell Wilson inked through the 2023 season, their development will be linked completely to his continued presence. There will be no “can this guy figure RW out after spending the last five years in Green Bay,” no “he’s gonna hate it here with how much we run compared to Detroit.”Process Goal 4: Bring a couple new hard-nosed defensive backs into “the program,” now that the Legion of Boom is defunctGrade: A-Marquse Blair and Ugo Amadi are exactly the kind of guys who’d have fit in with Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor. They’re hitters, punishers Frank Clark Color Rush Jersey , bad men on the field.Seattle actually spent significant draft capital to make room for the New Legion Fledgling of Boom. Blair is the highest secondary pick since, well, since Thomas. Amadi went 132nd, well before any of the other original LOB members.A-minus here instead of a full A because it’s not obvious where each man fits. But probably Carroll’ll figure it out. He knows a thing or two about DBs.Process Goal 2 + 3 + 4: Fill immediate needsGrade: ASometimes I’m a bit wordy. Let’s cut to the chase.Gonna presume Alistair speaks for a lot of people. Of course the Seahawks did things their way, which meant assigning curious values to prospects and passing on the guys who looked like perfect fits. It’s what they do.But when you sorely need receivers, defensive backs, and linebackers —— wait Seattle doesn’t need LB, that’s crazy, look at how good Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright still are and there’s Michael Kendricks too have you forgotten about Kendricks? oh wait those guys are almost 30 and/or under federal indictment, okay okay, carry on — — and you come away with seven of them combined, in a draft where you had five picks to start with, you’ve addressed some fucking needs. Looks like not every single draft has to be dominated by best-player-available tactics. Process Goal 6: Raid the Pac-12.Grade: Nice jobThe Pacific 12 Conference does not get the national respect other leagues do. Fair or not. And in fact, the Seahawks have not in the past drawn from it very heavily. I’m counting 15 Pac-12 draftees for Seattle in the last nine years, so 1.5 per year on average. A high of three, back in their first draft in 2010.But this year, four of their 11 selections are from the “local” conference. It’s not been possible to call the Seahawks scouts homers. Well now you can, in two ways. What, you thought we’d get through this very, very serious draft-grades article without a terrible joke?Report CardVolume Creation: APass Rush Replacement: CCatching Receivers: ABaby Boomers Studies: A-Overall Need Management: AElective (Pac 12 Sponsorship Seminar): PassGPA: 3.54