Richard Sherman signing with 49ers could have silver lining for Raiders

The sweepstakes for Richard Sherman didn’t end up much of a competition. The All Pro cornerback made one visit and they didn’t let him leave. The 49ers offered the 29-year-old Sherman a 3-year deal worth the same $13 million per season he was set to receive this season from the Seahawks and naturally he took it.

The Raiders wanted to have a crack at signing Sherman but he never made it across the bay to give them a chance.

This isn’t all bad news, though. There is a silver lining here.

Come Monday, it’ll be alright. That’s when the free agent negotiating period starts. The top cornerback to hit the market will be Trumaine Johnson. With the need the Raiders have at cornerback, Johnson is said to be their top priority. But their top competitor for Johnson was going to be the 49ers. That is until they plunked down big money to sign Richard Sherman.

If Sherman is able to recover fully from his Achilles tear from last season -- and the 49ers clearly think he will — he is absolutely the better acquisition over Johnson. But as far as consolation prizes go, Johnson could be a pretty good one.

That isn’t to say the Raiders are a lock to land the 28-year-old. But he is a Stockton native and based on the reports that Oakland and San Francisco were the two places he was going to decide between, it suggests he has interest in returning to Northern California to continue his career.

Johnson was the highest paid corner in the league last season, making $16.74 million on his second straight franchise tag from the Rams. Sherman just got $13 million per season. That’s 8th in the league among corners. Would Johnson, who has never made a Pro Bowl think he is worth more than a 3-time All Pro? One would hope not. Not having to outbid the 49ers will help keep the Raiders from overpaying.