Report: 49ers honor CB Sherman's missed $1M incentive

Although Richard Sherman did not reach his contractual playing-time incentive in 2019, the San Francisco 49ers reportedly still paid a $1 million bonus to the veteran cornerback on Saturday.

A source told ESPN's Field Yates that Sherman, who missed out on an incentive to be awarded if he played in 90 percent of the team's defensive snaps last season, still received the payout from the team, as mandated by general manager John Lynch.

Sherman, who participated in 87 percent of the team's snaps on defense in 2019, did not play in the team's Week 15 game against the Atlanta Falcons for what was called a hamstring injury on the league's official injury report. According to NBC Sports Bay Area, Sherman explained that he was healthy enough to see action but had agreed to sit out for precautionary reasons.

It would be the only game Sherman missed all season, but he said was not concerned about the bonus.

"John and I had a conversation early in the year about that," Sherman said in December. "And they had a conversation -- they had already given me that incentive. So there's no incentive for me, in terms of financial, for me to be like, 'I've got to come back to get this amount of money.' It's always what's best for the team."

Sherman, who turns 32 this month, enjoyed a rebound season in 2019 with 61 tackles, three interceptions and 11 passes defensed in 15 games while making his fifth Pro Bowl. The year before, in his first season with the club, he played in 14 games without recording an interception, the only year of his career he has failed to pick off a pass, as he was hindered by an Achilles injury.

Sherman's first seven seasons were spent with the rival Seattle Seahawks, for whom he earned four Pro Bowl berths, made two Super Bowl appearances (winning one) and grabbed 32 interceptions.

--Field Level Media