West Notes: Seahawks, Sanders, 49ers, Rams

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com believes neither Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman or safety Earl Thomas will be on the move via trade anytime soon (video link).

For Sherman, 29, his Achilles injury which forced him to miss the final nine games of the regular season — the first game’s he’s missed through his seven-year NFL career — will keep from being traded in the near future. The three-time All-Pro is set to enter the final year of his contract and is due to earn $11MM in non-guaranteed base salary, with a $13.2MM cap hit.

As for Thomas, Rapoport believed it was more likely the team would agree to a new deal with the standout safety rather than deal him. Thomas, 28, is also entering the final year of his new contract, which will earn him $8.5MM in base salary, along with a $10.4MM cap hit. Rapoport did go on to say that the Seahawks could obviously look to deal Thomas — a three-time All-Pro as well — if they are blown away by an offer.

Earl and Thomas have been centerpieces of Seattle’s “Legion of Boom,” helping lead the team to a Super Bowl XLVII title in 2013, which is the only Super Bowl title in franchise history.

Here’s more from out West:

• Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders‘ name has been tossed around trade rumors this offseason but Rapoport doesn’t see the team dealing him anytime soon either. Sanders is set to make $8.25MM in base salary next year but has a cap hit of $10.94MM, Rapoport considered that a high number for a player who’ll be 31 when the 2018 season begins and has seen a decline in his reception and yardage numbers since signing with the Broncos in 2014. However, Rapoport points out that the Broncos’ receiver tandem of Sanders and Demaryius Thomas could help lure a quarterback such as Kirk Cousins this offseason.
• Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle looks at some players the 49ers may be targeting ahead of next week’s NFL Scouting Combine. The 49ers are awaiting a coin flip against the Raiders to see if they’ll be picking at No. 9 or 10 but Branch believes cornerback will be a top priority for the team in the draft. Ohio State’s Denzel Ward was a player he identified could help in the secondary, with Vontae Davis and Marcus Peters serving as options through free agency and trade. A pass-rusher may be hard to come by, as North Carolina State’s Bradley Chubb is expected to go in the top five with a major gap in between the next-highest rated pass rushers. Branch also pointed to Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson as an option in the first round.
• Sticking with the draft, Rams vice president Kevin Demoff discussed how the team uses analytic when it comes to the draft while speaking at the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference (Youtube link, starting around 38-minute mark). Demoff said the team leans on its analytics more heavily in the sixth and seventh rounds, as well as undrafted free agents. A question was posed to Demoff centered around Cooper Kupp, who was limited from an analytics standpoint due to playing at Eastern Washington, but was still chosen by the Rams in the third round of last year’s draft. Demoff said that watching Kupp in individual workouts was the kicker in making the decision to pick him, though other available receivers graded higher.