The new NFL season kicks off in just under three months and as is traditional at this time of year, a number of teams will be looking to top off their summer action with pivotal moves in the free agency market.
Among those high up on the priority list of a number of teams is highly-rated cornerback Richard Sherman, who is said to be sizing up his many opportunities with a sense of relative calm.
The 33-year-old former Seattle Seahawks star saw his three-season stint at the San Francisco 49ers and has a selection of NFL outfits greedily circling the talented former Super Bowl winner.
The amount of interest in Sherman's next contract has started something of a betting frenzy and it's clear that capturing a player of his magnitude will great improve any team's chances of success in the coming season. Sidelines odds comparison & predictions is a good location to keep up with latest betting on the engrossing saga and how it impacts the teams involved.
The Seahawks and 49ers remain high up on the list of possible avenues for the player, but others have cropped up also.
You can get +235 on Seattle being Sherman's next move, +450 on San Francisco but it's the Las Vegas Raiders who lead the push with a move to the Allegiant Stadium being priced at +225 with most sportsbooks.
Other outside bets include the New Orleans Saints (+350) and the New York Jets, Los Angeles Chargers, Indianapolis Colts and Cleveland Browns all at +950.
Sherman himself has hinted at San Francisco being a possible winner in this massive tug-of-war, stating;
"There's always a chance it could end up working back in the Bay, and I head back that way," Sherman added; "That's another place I'm really comfortable going. Obviously, I know the staff, know the team well. Just spent time there and would be ecstatic if something happened there."
As if to confuse matter Sherman has also been equally effusive about a move back to Seattle, stating;
"It's always in the cards," Sherman said. "I spend my entire offseason in Seattle, that's where I live, that's where my family is. So, it's never out of the cards. Obviously, Pete and I have had conversations throughout the offseason, and everything just needs to shake out right"
"They're still figuring things out, I'm still figuring things out, but it's definitely not out of the cards." Sherman concluded.
However, a move to put on the Seahawk colors again is somewhat muddied by the fact that head coach Pete Carroll has brought in a number of new faces in the postseason. Cornerback Tre Brown was brought in as the No.137 draft pick and Ahkello Witherspoon and Pierre Desir as well as Damarious Randall, a player set to be converted into a cornerback to further expand Seattle's options in Sherman's role.
The scramble for Sherman isn't a surprise. A player of his undoubted experience and big-game credentials is always going to attract a great deal of bidding action in a free-agency bidding war, so expect this one to play out for a few more weeks before the pen is put to paper ahead of the start of pre-season training.
