Yeah, Sherman remembers them too and is having fun, via Twitter, looking back at some of those critics.
That's because Sherman has now earned millions in bonuses from the contract he — with some help from his wife — negotiated himself. The cornerback earned a $1 million bonus after being named to his fifth career Pro Bowl last month, and first with the 49ers. On Friday, he made another $2 million by being named to this season's All-Pro team.
That's on top of the $1 million bonus earned via a playing-time incentive. Sherman didn't hit his 90-percent playing-time incentive this season but came close enough that the 49ers were willing to award the cornerback.
Oh, and his 2020 salary from the 49ers is fully guaranteed thanks to that aforementioned Pro Bowl selection (being named an All-Pro would have done it, too).
Sherman is reaping the benefits of his decision to act as his own agent in 2018, and he doesn't even have to share any of his hard-earned money with an agent.
Sherman took time on Friday to reflect on some of his initial critics, who felt the decision for the veteran cornerback to work alone in the negotiations would come back to bite him, and it was pretty entertaining.
"I felt like I made the right decision, and I knew what I was doing when I did it," Sherman told reporters on Friday. "That's why it was frustrating to hear all the nonsense, but when you have people saying stuff like that, you've got to wait for the long play. You've got to wait for the long play, and I keep all the receipts. I keep it in my back pocket because I know I'm going to be alright in the end.
"I'm a very hard one to defeat, in that regard, but it's all about confidence. It's all about having confidence in yourself, and understanding what your capabilities are, and having honest conversations with yourself with who you are and what you think you're capable of."