Richard Sherman not optimistic about return to 49ers in 2021

Richard Sherman wants a fourth season in San Francisco. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan wants him back. However, it seems more and more likely that the star cornerback will have to find a new home in 2021. 

With the NFL's salary cap expected to drop next season due to implications from the coronavirus pandemic, the 49ers will have minimal space to sign their many impending free agents. Sherman, who serves as his own agent, reiterated on Thursday that his time in San Francisco likely is coming to an end. 

"If there's some miracle that happens, then sure there's an opening," Sherman said, according to ESPN's Nick Wagoner. "But there's 40 free agents and they'll probably have $30 million or less in cap and they have got to bring back Trent, who costs over $20 million. They have to pay Fred, who costs $18 million-plus a year. So anybody who knows the situation understands that."

Shanahan admitted earlier this week that he hopes the team can find a way to keep Sherman in the fold beyond the 2020 season, saying "he's been everything we've hoped and more."

Sherman, 32, signed a three-year, nearly $30 million deal with the 49ers in 2018 after spending seven seasons with the Seattle Seahawks. The five-time Pro Bowler has appeared in just three games for San Francisco this season after suffering a calf injury during Week 1. He returned to the lineup during Week 12 against the Los Angeles Rams and has one interception, 13 solo tackles and a tackle for a loss on the year. 

It's unclear where Sherman may end up if he doesn't return to the 49ers, though the Detroit Lions, Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders, Houston Texans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Green Bay Packers expressed interest in him before he signed with the 49ers in 2018. Those teams could, once again, target him in 2021.