SANTA CLARA http://www.49erslockerroom.com/authenti … ick-jersey , Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers knew they were getting a standout cornerback when they signed Richard Sherman in March.It turns out they also got a coach and an ambassador.This season hardly has gone according to plan for the 49ers, but the way Sherman has meshed with his new team and become a steadying veteran influence has to be considered a success.Young defensive players have leaned on him for advice. Even players on offense pick his brain. And if San Francisco’s front office enlists his assistance when it comes to luring free agents this offseason, Sherman says he’s ready to hit the recruiting trail.The three-time All-Pro never has experienced this much losing — he won a Super Bowl with Seattle and enjoyed six winning seasons in his seven with the Seahawks.But Sherman, who signed a three-year contract with San Francisco that can pay him as much as $39 million, believes the 49ers (4-11) are headed in the right direction.“I knew what I was coming into,” he said Thursday. “A bunch of young guys, you try to relate to them, try to bring them together. Get them to play good ball. … You can do your best to lead them the best you know how, and that’s what I tried to do.”The stats wouldn’t suggest the 30-year-old Sherman has stood out this season. He enters Sunday’s season finale against the Los Angeles Rams still seeking his first interception, and he has just four passes defended in the 13 games he’s played.But that’s largely because teams avoid throwing in his direction, opting instead to target younger cornerbacks such as Ahkello Witherspoon or rookie Tarvarius Moore.Sherman’s value has come through in subtle ways for a defense that ranks 10th in the league, allowing 344.6 total yards per game.“I can’t speak highly enough of him Womens Ahkello Witherspoon Jersey ,” Moore said. “Whenever you ask him a question, he’s always there to help. So I can definitely say he’s been a blessing, not just for the young guys, but everybody in that room. It’s kind of like having another coach on the field right there with you.”Hearing such talk might come as a surprise, considering Sherman has earned a reputation for being outspoken and sometimes combative.He was ejected from last Sunday’s loss to Chicago for fighting, though that only came after Bears players, upset about a late hit, went after 49ers safety Marcell Harris. Two Chicago players got ejected as well.Aside from that incident, Sherman has avoided making headlines for the wrong reasons.“I don’t really care about public perception,” Sherman said. “But what my teammates think about me, and how I carry myself in the locker room, means a great deal. I care very little about the opinions of people outside the locker room.”Sherman has missed two games with minor injuries Trent Taylor Jersey , but he’s relieved to have made a comeback from a ruptured right Achilles that ended his 2017 season after nine games.Could he possibly help recruit safety Earl Thomas, a former Seattle teammate who will be a free agent this summer?“Would I love to play with (Thomas)? Sure. I would love to,” Sherman said. “I’m sure he’ll have a plethora of opportunties, but I’m sure we’re gonna throw our hat in the ring.”NOTES: Wide receiver Marquise Goodwin (calf) didn’t practice Thursday, and tight end Garrett Celek (concussion), linebackers Mark Nzeocha (groin) and Malcolm Smith (Achilles), cornerback K’Waun Williams (knee) and center Erik Magnuson (hamstring) were limited. Linebacker Bobby Wagner recently signed a new contract with the Seahawks. Without a traditional adviser to represent his interests, Wagner got advice from plenty of people. Including a fairly well-known basketball player.“You have to lean on people, you have to ask people,” Wagner told reporters on Sunday. “There are certain people that I talked to. You know I’m with the Jordan Brand. It’s cool, I can talk to Mike and he can give me his advice because he owns a team. I asked his advice.“I asked different people’s advice and how they would look or feel if a player came and try to do his deal, what are you looking for Tom Rathman Jersey White , what do you expect a player not to know, what you want him to know. You just ask that, ask these questions, try to get as much experience as possible or as much knowledge as possible and hope it turns out for the best.”Wagner explained that his decision to handle the negotiations on his own came in large part from a desire to eliminate a third person to whom the team would criticize Wagner’s skills in order to justify offering him less.“I didn’t want them to say all the bad things to the agent,” Wagner said. “I wanted them to say it to my face. I can take it. Especially nowadays, you have Twitter and you got somebody telling you you’re trash every day. It can’t be worse than Twitter. As long as they don’t go outside of that, we’re good, at least I could see their face. [With] Twitter, I can’t see their face.”Helping Wagner’s cause, as one league insider explained it to PFT, is the fact that there isn’t much bad that can be said. Wagner is regarded as the best inside linebacker in the game. So the negotiation basically entailed taking C.J. Mosley‘s contract with the Jets and pumping up the annual average.Another source explained that the negotiations essentially consisted of Wagner meeting with the team, taking breaks to calls his lawyer and other advisers http://www.49erslockerroom.com/authenti … ith-jersey , and then re-entering the room to continue the negotiations. While that was the right decision for Wagner, it’s not the right decision for every player.When making the decision, the last reason for doing so should be avoidance of the agent’s fee, because a good agent will typically get more than the contract and his percentage (a maximum of three percent), likely putting the player ahead of the game without having to enter an arena where he may feel intimidated or inadequate. Having a knowledgeable third party will serve as protection against a team’s temptation to take advantage of a player who doesn’t understand the nuances of the process, ensuring that the right structure is used, preventing a situation where the NFL Players Association would have to approach the team to soften the terms of a grossly team-friendly contract that was negotiated directly with the player and not through an agent.