Photo credit: @BaySportsOne

By: Joe Lami

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The most exciting off-season in a decade is officially underway for the San Francisco 49ers, as they inked all-pro cornerback, Richard Sherman, to a three-year deal on Saturday afternoon. According to ESPN’s Josina Anderson, the deal is reportedly worth up to $39 million.

The deal comes the day after Sherman was released by the Seattle Seahawks as the team continues to tear apart the Legion of Doom. Sherman spent all of his seven seasons with Seattle and made it his priority to sign with a contending team. He will now have the opportunity for revenge playing against the Seahawks twice a year.

Sherman is the ideal cornerback the 49ers were looking for. The big-bodied 6-foot-3-inch 195 pound defensive back can bring loads of experience with him to a rather young 49ers organization. Once the most-feared corner in the league, Sherman has 32 interceptions, 99 pass deflections, and 279 tackles in his career.

However, despite all of the experience and accolades, Sherman is not a lock, as he is coming off a torn Achilles after getting surgery on his other Achilles. Sherman is also turning 30-years old later this month, which leaves some to question how much more he may have in the tank. Last season was the first time he didn’t play all 16 regular season games when he finished with nine.

Regardless, the signing is an exciting one for San Francisco at a position that they desperately need. The move shows that John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan think they aren’t far off from bringing San Francisco back to the playoffs and competing with Los Angeles for the NFC West title.