ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Multiplicity is what lured Trent Sherfield Sr. to Denver, where the Broncos promised he'd serve not only as a four-core special teamer but also as a pass-catcher for Bo Nix.
They also offered him a two-year deal, which represents the most career stability the eighth-year pro has ever had.
“That definitely mattered to me,” said Sherfield, who's playing for his sixth team in six years, which makes him the very definition of an NFL journeyman.
Sherfield began his career in Arizona, where, as an undrafted free agent out of Vanderbilt, he had to prove himself anew every summer. He went to San Francisco in 2021, Miami in 2022, Buffalo in 2023 and Minnesota in 2024, all on one-year contracts.
“One of my biggest goals was to be able to crack that one-year cycle. Even in Arizona you could say those were one-year deals because I was undrafted. So, it was always year-to-year," said Sherfield, who caught three passes for 73 yards and a 36-yard touchdown in his preseason Denver debut at San Francisco two weeks ago.
“I kind of got callused to being able to pick up and move and just start over,” Sherfield added. “I think all that moving kind of weighed on me a little bit. It’s tough, but it was something that I just became accustomed to."
The moving boxes. The new home search. Learning a new city, new teammates, new coaches, new schemes.
Stability is becoming more important for Sherfield and his wife, Marcella, who have two young children, son Trent Jr., who's 2, and daughter Adaliha, who's 10 months old. “So, I'm grateful to be here on a two-year deal — and hopefully longer than that,” said Sherfield.
Other teams offered him a two-year contract this spring but Sherfield said he was swayed by the chance to play for Broncos head coach Sean Payton and renowned special teams coach Darren Rizzi in Denver.
While most teams pigeonholed Sherfield into a core special teams player, Payton has plans for him from scrimmage: "He’s physical as a blocker and he can run ... There’s a lot you can do with that.”
Bouncing around from team to team can take a toll, but Sherfield, whose career earnings are nearly $9 million, tries to look on the bright side of the transient nature of his career.
He said being on so many teams has allowed him to learn from a smorgasbord of teammates and coaches and master several philosophies and schemes, shaping his game as a route-runner, run-blocker and special teams ace while also providing him with more friendships than the average player who doesn't move so much.
Sherfield also brings a playoff pedigree to the Broncos as he reached the postseason with the 49ers, Dolphins, Bills and Vikings over the last four seasons.
“He’s a do-it-all player,” said Rizzi, “which is one of the reasons we really loved him in free agency.”
Long after Sherfield had come out of the game at San Francisco, he was seen on the sideline counting players to make sure the Broncos were lined up correctly on special teams.
Rizzi said Sherfield has been a godsend to younger special teamers just learning the NFL ropes.
"He's got such a great persona to him. He's got a really high football IQ and what he does, I watch him with some of the younger receivers, some of the younger gunners, you see him off to the side teaching,” Rizzi said. "And some of the things you guys can't see, in the meeting room, off the field, arm around guys.
“I think he's a really good example to the younger players of different ways you can make it in this league.”
Sherfield figured he was going to get a long-term contract in Miami after his most productive season in 2022 when he caught a career-high 30 passes for 417 yards and two touchdowns. But he was on the move again after one season.
“When I sit back and kind of look at the pros and the cons, yes it’s a lot picking up and moving, getting with a new team and learning new teammates and coaches," Sherfield said. "But at the same time this opportunity that God has granted me with, to be able to provide for my family and play the game that I love, is a blessing.
”Being on all those different teams has made me a better football player and also a better man, husband, father. You experience all these different things, these different coaches, these different emotions and it helps you grow and it helps you learn. It's literally helped form my playing style."
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Denver Broncos wide receiver Trent Sherfield Sr. (5) celebrates after a touchdown catch during the first half of a preseason NFL football game San Francisco 49ers, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Kelley L Cox)
Arizona Cardinals cornerback Kei'Trel Clark, right, hits Denver Broncos wide receiver Trent Sherfield Sr. (5) as he tries to make a catch during the first half of a preseason NFL football game Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/Eric Lutzens)
Denver Broncos wide receiver Trent Sherfield Sr. takes part in drills during practice at the team's NFL football training camp Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025, in Centennial, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
