Richard Sherman recalls DeVonta Smith route that showed him he needed to retire

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Richard Sherman was once considered the best cornerback in the NFL during his time with the Seattle Seahawks and their famed "Legion of Boom." But Sherman’s career eventually came to an end following the 2021 campaign, and he remembered the exact play that told him it was time to hang up his cleats.

Sherman was a five-time Pro Bowler, three-time All Pro and a Super Bowl champion when he arrived in Tampa Bay to play with the Buccaneers on a one-year deal for the 2021 season. He had completed his second year with the San Francisco 49ers the season prior, after seven outstanding seasons in Seattle. 

But a meeting with the Philadelphia Eagles would change the then-33-year-old’s mind about continuing his NFL career, and it was a specific route that rookie DeVonta Smith ran against him at Lincoln Financial Field. 

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Richard Sherman of the Buccaneers looks on from the sideline against the Philadelphia Eagles during wild-card playoff game at Raymond James Stadium on Jan. 16, 2022, in Tampa, Florida. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

"I’ll never forget I was in Tampa and I had just come back from an injury. A calf injury or something," he said on his "The Richard Sherman Podcast. "…It was my third game and we had y’all on a Thursday night and DeVonta must’ve ran the comeback. And I had him under control. I was like, bang, 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. Woah, woah.’ Then, you’re trying to guard him, you’re like chasing him around like, ‘Please don’t throw him the ball.’ Our coach is looking at me