Richard Sherman reportedly discussing long-term deal with 49ers after visit

The Richard Sherman free-agency tour could be over before it ever really even gets started.

According to The Athletic, Sherman was spotted eating dinner with 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan on Friday in the Bay Area, just hours after he was released by the Seahawks. This dinner wasn't a friendly chit-chat, either, and that's because the 49ers appear to have some serious interest in bringing Sherman to San Francisco.

The Seahawks cornerback met with the rest of 49ers brass on Saturday, and apparently, things went well, because the two sides are already discussing a long-term deal. According to ESPN.com, Sherman and the 49ers are in the early stages of putting together a potential three-year deal.

Niners officials wanted to meet with Sherman on Saturday so they could gauge how well he's recovering from the Achilles tear that he suffered in early November. ESPN.com reported earlier on Saturday that there's a "real chance" a deal would happen, and that seems to be turning into a reality.

For Sherman, there's a lot of upside to signing with the 49ers. For starters, he would get to play the Seahawks twice a year. Not to mention, the 29-year-old would also get to return to his home state of California. Sherman went to high school in Southern California before heading to Stanford for college. Sherman is also somewhat familiar with the scheme run by 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. It's the perfect trifecta of reasons for the four-time Pro Bowl performer to end up in San Francisco.

Of course, the 49ers are only going to sign Sherman if they're satisfied with his health and there's still no 100 percent guarantee that's going to happen. Sherman missed seven games in 2017 after tearing his right Achilles tendon and also had to have surgery on his left leg this offseason to clean out bone spurs.

The big injury there is the Achilles tear, and that's because coming back from that isn't easy. The recovery timeline for an injury like that is generally 10 to 12 months, which means Sherman might not be ready for the beginning of the 2018 season.

Sherman clearly doesn't think the Achilles injury will be able to slow him down next season. After he was cut on Friday, the former Seahawks corner, who will turn 30 on March 30, shared some statistics to prove that he's not "slowin' down."

If Sherman and the 49ers can't work out a deal on Saturday, then we'll likely see the Richard Sherman free-agency tour go into full swing during the next few weeks.

So who else might be interested in the three-time All-Pro corner?

Sherman told ESPN.com that he's received "preliminary interest from the Titans, Lions, Raiders, Texans, Buccaneers and Packers." According to NFL.com, Sherman will head to Detroit next if things fall through in San Francisco. Sherman is also being personally recruited by Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston.

As for San Francisco, the Seahawks corner said on Friday he wants to go to a "contender," which tells you all you need to know about the 49ers. If Sherman signs with them, that means he's likely confident enough they can be a playoff team in 2018 after going 6-10 last season.

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