Trent Sherfield’s Winding Road to the Super Bowl Sidelines Is a Reminder of How Quickly the NFL Moves On
SAN JOSÉ, Calif. - Five months ago, Trent Sherfield had a very different vision of how this week would look. He imagined himself in San Francisco, suiting up for the Super Bowl, repping the Denver Broncos logo on his chest, and preparing to play on football’s biggest stage. Instead, he’s in San José, wearing Patriots gear, part of the practice squad - and not even that until just after the AFC Championship Game.
Sherfield’s journey this season has been anything but linear. He finished the regular season with the Arizona Cardinals’ practice squad, opted not to sign a reserve/futures contract, and found himself a free agent just a week later.
When the Patriots knocked off the Broncos in Denver, Sherfield was watching from a hotel room in Nashville - his home had lost power in the massive winter storm that swept through the Southeast. He knew if New England advanced, there was a good chance he’d be back with them.
But that return came with no promises.
“It’s been wild, but it’s also been a blessing,” Sherfield said. “I would have never thought I’d be right here.”
That sentiment sums up the rollercoaster of Sherfield’s season - and really, his NFL career. He thought he had a two-year runway with Denver.
He thought he had a defined role. But in this league, plans are written in pencil, and the eraser gets used often.
“In my mind, I’m with Denver,” Sherfield said. “I’ll be there for the next two years, all those different things… It’s been a little bit of trials, but also, just obviously being here is a blessing.”
Now he’s here - in the middle of Super Bowl week, but not in the way he once envisioned. He arrived in San José quietly, just another name on the Patriots’ practice squad, preparing for a game he won’t play in. Unless disaster strikes, he’ll be on the sideline in sweats, cheering on teammates he barely knows, for a team he joined only recently, in a city that’s more hotel room than home.
That’s the reality for so many players on the fringe. The NFL might stand for “Not For Long,” but for Sherfield, it also stands for “Never Fully Linear.” One week you’re in the starting rotation, the next you're watching from a hotel room, hoping for another shot.
“A Big Shock” in Denver
Sherfield’s time in Denver started with promise. Signed last March for his special teams prowess and veteran presence, he looked like a solid depth piece for Sean Payton’s squad.
But as the season wore on, his role started to shrink. His offensive snaps dropped from 23 per game over the first month to just under 12 in his final six outings.
And his special teams usage - the area where he was expected to shine - dipped to a season-low five snaps in Week 10 against the Raiders.
Then came the surprise: Denver waived him on Nov. 15, just one day before a home game against Kansas City.
“It was a big shock,” Sherfield said. “Sean [Payton] called me up and we spoke.
He was real cordial about it. I talked with George [Paton] and Sean.
I was shocked by it. I think some other people were shocked, too.
My agent was shocked.”
Still, there’s no bitterness in his voice. Sherfield understands the business. He even pointed to the emergence of rookie receiver Pat Bryant - a player he mentored - as a factor in the decision.
“We drafted Pat, who’s a great receiver, and he had a great year,” Sherfield said. “That’s my young guy, and I was always pushing for him to play. I think he started to come along, and obviously you’ve got to get your capital out of your draft, and that kind of pushed me to the side a little bit.”
That’s the NFL in a nutshell: development meets dollars, and veterans can find themselves the odd man out.
On the special teams side, Sherfield expected to be a fixture. But that didn’t pan out either.
“Special teams wasn’t what I thought it was going to be,” he said. “I just think that it just mutually wasn’t, and I think that’s kind of what led to our departing.”
The Broncos had already cut another veteran special teamer, Sam Franklin, in training camp. The unit struggled early in the year, but eventually found its rhythm behind younger players. Devon Key stepped up and earned All-Pro honors - proof that the team’s youth movement was working.
Still Connected to Denver, Even From Afar
Despite the abrupt end to his time in Denver, Sherfield isn’t walking away from that chapter with resentment. In fact, he’s still planning to work out with Bryant in the offseason - continuing to mentor the young receiver he helped bring along.
So while his 10-game stint with the Broncos might only register as a blip in the team’s history books, Sherfield’s impact could have a longer shelf life. He helped shape a young player who could be part of Denver’s future, and that’s not nothing.
And now, even as he stands on the periphery of the Super Bowl, Sherfield knows the value of staying ready, staying grounded, and staying flexible.
“The one thing I’ve learned is, write your plans in pencil,” he said. “Really just lean on God and trust him.
Let him drive. Get out of the driver’s seat.
You get in the passenger seat.”
It’s not the storybook ending he imagined, but it’s a story worth telling - one that captures the uncertainty, the grind, and the quiet resilience of life on the NFL’s edge.