SANTA CLARA, Calif. — A day after the San Francisco 49ers elected Richard Sherman as their player representative, the veteran cornerback believes a lockout is coming when the NFL collective bargaining agreement expires.

“It’s going to happen, so it’s not like guys are guessing,” Sherman said before the 49ers’ workout Thursday.

The current CBA between players and NFL owners doesn’t expire until after the 2020 season, but there have been rumblings that players might dig in their heels in order to get certain economic changes, including more guaranteed money in contracts.

Owners locked out the players for four months during the 2011 offseason, but the sides eventually hammered out a 10-year deal before the regular season was jeopardized.

Sherman said he’s expecting a lockout this time around “because there was a lockout before. We don’t plan on changing anything about the deal we currently have right now ... I don’t think it’s going to be negotiated before the end of the CBA.”

That issue is for down the road. For now, the three-time All-Pro cornerback eagerly awaits his 49ers debut Sunday at Minnesota. After being released by Seattle in March, Sherman, 30, signed a three-year deal with San Francisco.