Richard Sherman Reveals How Eagles' DeVonta Smith Caused Retirement Decision: 'Whoa!'
DeVonta Smith wasted very little time making himself at home in the NFL.
The Philadelphia Eagles receiver also made five-time Pro Bowl cornerback and three-time first-team All-Pro Richard Sherman realize his home was no longer in the NFL after 11 seasons spent in the league.
Sherman's realization came in a Thursday night game at Lincoln Financial Field on Oct. 14, 2021, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers came calling.
Sherman, who spent the first seven years of his career with the Seattle Seahawks and then three more with the San Francisco 49ers, had signed that offseason as a free agent with the Bucs, but a calf injury sidelined him for the first three games of the season. The game in Philly was just his third with Tampa.
The likely future Hall of Fame cornerback was on the field that night, but it was also that night, trying to defend Smith, that he realized his splendid career would be over at the end of that season.
“DeVonta must’ve run this comeback (route),” Sherman said during a recent episode of his podcast, which had Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson on as guest. “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 said Smith's Heisman-winning skills made him realize then and there that he couldn't keep up with the league's young guns.
“Then you’re trying to guard and chasing him around and you’re like please don’t throw him the ball, please. My coach is looking at me on the sideline like, ‘Hey, you wanna come out, you wanna come out?’
"I’m like, ‘Yeah, but they’re in a hurry-up,’ so I’m like bailing out. At that moment I was like yeah, this is probably my last year. I don’t got it for these young dudes right here.”
Drafted 10th overall in 2021, after the Eagles traded up two spots with their NFC East rival Dallas Cowboys on draft night, Smith had a rookie season that saw him record 916 receiving yards to break the record DeSean Jackson had set in his first season in 2008.
Last year, the receiver set the team’s record for most receptions in a year with 95.
He has drawn the attention of others around the league, being named the Eagles’ most promising building block by Bleacher Report, and at Smith’s second annual celebrity softball game last month, Terrell Owens had high praise for him.
“I’ve admired this guy’s game for so long,” T.O. told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “He’s been excelling ever since. He’s obviously doing really great things in Philly, where the expectations are high ... his game speaks for itself.”
There were some mere mortal games thrown in along the way in Smith’s first season. Like that game against Sherman when he had just two catches for 31 yards in the 28-22 loss.
Sherman was 33 at the time. He played only one more game that season and that was in Week 14.
Smith was still just 22 when it could be argued that he ended Sherman’s career on that October night in South Philadelphia.
Ed Kracz covers the Philadelphia Eagles for SI's EaglesToday.
Please follow him and our Eagles coverage on Twitter at @kracze.
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