Richard Sherman has not made a formal, paperwork-style retirement announcement with an official NFL retirement date, but his last NFL season was 2021, and he has since effectively stepped away from playing while working in media.

Quick Scoop: When did Richard Sherman retire?

Richard Sherman’s situation is a bit more “soft fade-out” than a clean headline like “Richard Sherman retired on X date.” He has strongly hinted that his playing days are over, even if he never staged a big press conference.

What was his last season?

  • Sherman last played in the NFL in the 2021 season, appearing in just a handful of games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before injuries shut him down.
  • After that 2021 stint, he went unsigned and has not played in an NFL game since.

Did he ever officially announce retirement?

  • Sherman has repeatedly suggested he was near the end and even talked about a “two-year window” before walking away, which would have taken him through 2022 at most.
  • On his own podcast, he described a moment in 2021 covering DeVonta Smith when he felt his body give him a clear signal that it was time to be done, effectively treating 2021 as his last year.
  • However, he has also said he was open to a late-season call if a team needed him, which kept him from labeling himself as fully retired for a while.

What is he doing now?

  • Sherman moved into broadcasting, joining Amazon’s Thursday Night Football coverage team as an analyst, marking a clear transition to a post-playing career.
  • Between the lack of contracts since 2021 and his own comments about knowing it was time to “shut it down,” he is widely regarded as a former cornerback rather than an active player.

So, how should fans answer “when did Richard Sherman retire”?

If you’re answering in a casual, fan-conversation way:

  • You can say: “Richard Sherman basically retired after the 2021 season with the Buccaneers.”
  • If someone asks for a technical date: there is no single official retirement announcement date on record like some stars have; instead, his career effectively ended after 2021, and he transitioned into media work soon after.

TL;DR: When people ask “when did Richard Sherman retire,” the most accurate, simple answer is that his last NFL season was 2021, and he has effectively been retired from playing ever since, even without a formal announced retirement date.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.