For Richard Sherman, the End Came when Facing a Former Alabama Player

According to the All-Pro cornerback, he knew it was time to hang up the cleats after facing DeVonta Smith during his rookie year.

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

It doesn't necessarily matter the profession, sometimes when the end of your career comes you just know it. It's even more true for athletes, who will suddenly come upon a certain moment or situation and that's it. 

For cornerback Richard Sherman, it happened against a former Alabama Crimson Tide standout. But it wasn't just any player, the only wide receiver in program history to win the Heisman Trophy, DeVonta Smith. 

It occurred in 2021, a Thursday night game when the three-time All-Pro, and five-time Pro Bowl player was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Smith was a rookie with the Philadelphia Eagles. 

“I had just came to Tampa so that was my third game,” Sherman said while talking to Eagles tackle Lane Johnson on a recent episode of the The Richard Sherman Podcast. “DeVonta must’ve run this comeback, and I had him under control, I was like, ‘bam, quick jam, easy, got 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, whoa.’”

According to Sherman, Philadelphia was in the hurry-up offense, which only made things worse.

“Our coach is looking at me on the sidelines like ‘You want to come out?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah,’ but they’re in a hurry-up, so I’m like bailing out,” he said. “At that moment, I was like yeah, this is probably my last year. I don’t got it for these young dudes right now.”

Smith only had four catches for 31 yards in the game, a 28-22 loss to the Bucs, but he went on to finish the regular season with 916 yards on 104 catches and five touchdowns. Last season he topped that with 1,196 yards on 136 catches and seven touchdowns while helping the Eagles reach the Super Bowl. 

Sherman, who was 33 at the time, played in only one more game, two months later, and made an interception as the Bucs pulled out an overtime victory against the Bills, 33-27. After 11 seasons he left the door open for a possible return, but took a media job with Amazon to served as a studio host for "Thursday Night Football." 

Nathan Ray Seebeck / USA Today Sports

SEE ALSO: Alabama's Original Heisman Trophy Winner Retires From NFL; Joining Big Noon Kickoff