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Seattle Seahawks Trade Rumors: Is Richard Sherman On The Trading Block?

By Shaunee Flowers
Published on: 08:55 PST, Apr 1, 2017

Seattle Seahawks All-Pro defensive back Richard Sherman has never been one to be at a loss for words. The outspoken Sherman has had something to say about numerous topics ranging from player safety in the NFL to Colin Kaepernick being blackballed by league executives. One topic he didn’t anticipate talking about was him being traded away from the Seattle Seahawks.

Last week on ESPN’s sports debate show First Take, Richard Sherman commented on the Seattle Seahawks trade rumors and kind of blew the whole thing off as just talk. Does that mean he won’t be leaving his beloved Seahawks?

“I just laugh it off, man. It’s funny to me. But sometimes people need to see you gone to realize what you had. The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. But I don’t let things like that bother me. The chips will fall how they’re supposed to.”

This statement sounds like someone who is confident that he isn’t going anywhere, but based on recent comments made by Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider, he had to change his tone and look at the situation a little more seriously.

At the NFL owner’s meeting in Phoenix, Pete Carroll had this to say when asked about Richard Sherman being moved,”We listen to everything. We’re in a lot of stuff. We try to pride ourselves on that.”

Schneider said when asked about the supposed trade talks, “I think I’ve told you guys before we walk away from probably 98 percent of the deals that we’re involved with or talking about, but at least we know that we’ve knocked down the door and gone in there and checked it out. You’re either competing or you’re not, and so we’ve always had to be open for everything, every suggestion that comes along. There have been some teams that have called, and so we’ve talked about it.” That statement speaks volumes and just proves that Sherman is not “untouchable.”

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported that the Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots inquired about the availability of Richard Sherman prior to signing free agent Stephon Gilmore, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Sherman has since commented again on the trade speculation and his tone was totally different from a week ago. He told 710 ESPN Seattle‘s Gee Scott on Thursday, “I wouldn’t want to leave this city and my guys, but I understand it’s a business and organizational philosophies change.”

That’s a definite change from his previous comments and it shows that Richard is taking the rumors more seriously because he knows his time may actually be up in Seattle.

For what it’s worth, Richard Sherman’s teammates believe that he isn’t going anywhere because he means too much to the organization and Seattle would have to be offered a king’s ransom in order to let their star cornerback go. Sherman’s teammate defensive end Michael Bennett told ESPN,

“I can’t see him leaving. I think he’s a staple in the community. He does everything you need to do. I think Sherm is one of the best corners to play the game. If you look at his statistics, there hasn’t been a guy that’s had that many interceptions in a short span of his career. I think he’s a great player, and I don’t think that we would ever trade him. I don’t think that there’s anything they could trade for him unless it was like three first-round picks or something.”

Richard Sherman is owed $11.4 million in 2017 and $11 million in 2018, and any team willing to trade for him will have to take on that salary as well as give Seattle whatever they’re asking for the future Hall of Famer. One thing that is certain is that if Sherman is made available, he will not have a lack of suitors because he is still one of the best defensive backs in the game. That is a position that is extremely valuable in a league that is becoming more and more pass happy. As the NFL Draft grows closer, it will be interesting to see if the Seattle Seahawks move on from Richard Sherman and starts anew at the position or decides to stand pat and let Sherman finish his career there.

[Featured Image by Stephen Brashear/AP Images]

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