It appears as though Richard Sherman will be able to turn 15 seconds into $5 million.
The Seahawks' star's agent, Jamie Fritz, told CNN that the endorsement offers have been rolling in for his client following Sherman's lively postgame interview with Erin Andrews after the Seahawks' victory over the 49ers in the NFC championship game.
While some have questioned whether Sherman's rant will make him more or less likeable, Fritz says the answer might be irrelevant, because it has made him more marketable -- to the tune of several million dollars.
"I think that he's more likeable," Fritz said. "People love this. The brand managers love this."
Sherman is in the third year of his deal with Seattle, and as a fifth-round pick he only makes about $550,000 in salary. Fritz says Sherman should be in line for several deals regardless of how Seattle does on Sunday.
Sherman's income from endorsements is about the same as his NFL salary for this season. He is part of a national ad campaign for Beats by Dre headphones and makes a cameo appearance during a Nike commercial starring Kobe Bryant. Additionally, Sherman has a regional spot for CenturyLink, the Internet service provider that also has naming rights to Seattle's stadium.
Sherman's agent did not specify who has inquired about his client, but some companies like the buzz of doing business with a polarizing figure. Nike, which already has Sherman, is good at casting rebels as being misunderstood by the establishment, such as it did with the young, long-haired Andre Agassi.
Carl's Jr. has featured athletes such as Dennis Rodman and Terrell Owens. In Owens' case, the commercial centered around his unpopularity with the fans in Philadelphia.
John McEnroe earned a reputation for his rants against umpires, but then used that screaming-maniac persona to land commercials for National Car Rental, a European car company and American Express:
The bottom line is that Richard Sherman quickly got the public's attention, and that's what most companies covet.
