Richard Sherman On The Move?

06 Apr, 2017

Seahawks general manager John Schneider said in an appearance on ESPN 710 Seattle Wednesday morning that rumors the team would consider trading Richard Sherman are “real.”

Given another chance to shoot down the idea that the Seahawks could trade cornerback Richard Sherman during an appearance on ESPN 710 Seattle Wednesday morning, Seattle general manager John Schneider again did not.

But Schneider also repeated that a trade at this point seems unlikely, saying “I don’t know if anything would ever happen.’’

Schneider, though also again made clear that that isn’t because the Seahawks wouldn’t consider it.

“What you’ve seen lately in the news is real,” Schneider said during an interview on the Brock and Salk Show Wednesday. “That’s on both sides.’’

Schneider, though, also said that he wasn’t sure a trade would “ever happen.’’

Both statements came during a lengthier quote when Schneider was asked to characterize the team’s relationship with Sherman over the last six or seven months.

“I think we’re a very unique organization in that regard,’’ Schneider said. “We have a great relationship with a lot of our players. There’s very much an openness. What you’ve seen lately in the news is real. That’s on both sides. It’s just open communication. He knows what’s going on. We know what’s going on. I don’t know if anything would ever happen. But like I tell people all the time, 98 percent of the deals that we’re involved with, we don’t follow through with. But at least we’ve opened that door, gone down the road and seen what’s behind door A or door B.”

Asked if the phone lines have been buzzing since the comments of last week, Schneider said the trade talks “basically stems from being down at the Indy Combine (the NFL Combine in Indianapolis in March).”

Schneider referred to the Combine as being akin to baseball’s Winter Meetings and said “there is also a process that you have to keep your ears open in terms of talking to other teams and where they are at and listening to agents on the periphery.’’

Schneider said the team has been open in talking with Sherman about the fact it is fielding trade calls.

“Absolutely,” Schneider said. “This isn’t a secret like this just came out of nowhere. People find things out and we’re not going to lie to each other and we’re not going to BS each other. It’s going to be all laid out, and like I said, that doesn’t happen everywhere. We have open lines of communication between our coaching staff and our player personnel staff. It goes through player development, it goes through our sports science group. There’s a lot going on there.”

Carroll last week echoed a similar theme — that the team has weighed trades for Sherman but that none is likely to happen at this point.

“You either are competing or you are not,’’ Carroll said. “So we have always had to be open to every suggestion that comes along. There have been some teams that have called, and so we have talked about it. But he is extremely important to our football team. I don’t see anything happening at all. I don’t see anything happening with any of our players, just the banter that’s out there right now. But it has been talked about. He is a great player and he can impact a team. I can see why people would be interested in him.’’

The trade talks come after an uncharacteristic 2016 season for Sherman in which he had two sideline blowups aimed at coaches as well as appearing to defy what Carroll expected in how he handled apologizing for criticism of offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell following a Dec. 14 game against the Rams.

Carroll said then he hopes Sherman has a turnaround in 2017.

“So I’m hoping that things balance out moreso for him so that he doesn’t have to carry an additional burden of just trying to be one of the best players in the NFL that he is,” Carroll said. “So I’m expecting him to do a really good job. He always has. Sometimes the turnaround time just takes a little bit longer than others.’’

Sherman turned 29 last week.

Seattle Times 

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