Richard Sherman - Pro Football Rumors

Seahawks GM: Richard Sherman Trade Talk Is “Real”

April 5th, 2017 at 11:13am CST by Zachary Links

The rumblings about a potential Richard Sherman deal have some validity, GM John Schneider said in an interview with 710 ESPN. While offering the usual caveats about always being willing to listen on any player, Schneider all but confirmed that the cornerback has been discussed with other teams. And, for the right price, Sherman could be moved.

“What you’ve seen lately in the news is real,” Schneider said. “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.”

When the trade talk started in March, Sherman was pretty much laughing it all off. Then, in comments last week, Sherman seemed to take a more serious tone, perhaps intimating that he knew he was made available. Coach Pete Carroll also acknowledged that the Seahawks have talked about Sherman with other teams, though he said he did not envision a trade coming together.

Nothing is imminent on this front, a source tells Jeff Howe of The Boston Herald (on Twitter), but it is a very real possibility closer to the draft. Reportedly, the Patriots are among the clubs that have inquired on the outspoken corner, but it could be a few weeks before Sherman’s future is sorted out.

Seahawks Rumors: Sherman, Carroll, Shead

March 30th, 2017 at 12:22pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s the latest on Sherman and the Seahawks:

When asked about the trade rumors surrounding him, Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman seemed to take a different tone than he did just a few weeks ago. “I wouldn’t want to leave this city and my guys, but understand it’s a business and organizational philosophies change,” (Twitter link via Gee Scott of 710 ESPN). Previously, Sherman was laughing off the trade talk. Now, he seems to be making peace with the idea that he could be shipped elsewhere. Earlier this week, coach Pete Carroll acknowledged that the Seahawks have discussed a potential Sherman trade with other teams, but added that he doesn’t see it happening.
On many levels, trading Sherman would be a monumental gamble for the Seahawks, Kapadia writes. The Seahawks are ready to compete for a Super Bowl right now and he’s a star player who has never missed a game in his NFL career. It’s also hard to see a deal coming together given his salary and the team’s likely asking price. Kapadia wonders aloud if the Seahawks’ public posturing could be a way to send a message to Sherman, letting him know that he is not untouchable. Of course, that could also backfire and create an ugly situation.
Carroll would be “really surprised” if Seahawks cornerback DeShawn Shead made it back for Week 1 as he recovers from his knee injury, Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com tweets. Shead was non-tendered this offseason suffered an ACL and meniscus tear in the playoffs. However, the team later re-signed him to a one-year, $1.5MM deal with $1MM fully guaranteed at signing. Shead started 15 games for Seattle in 2016 and probably figures to be a big part of their gameplan for 2017. Unfortunately, it might take a while before they can get him back on the field.

Patriots Inquired On Richard Sherman

March 29th, 2017 at 5:14pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Before signing free agent Stephon Gilmore earlier this month, the Patriots inquired on the availability Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Seattle head coach Pete Carroll admitted this morning the Seahawks had discussed Sherman in trade talks, but added a deal isn’t expected to take place.

New England was clearly looking to add a clear-cut No. 1 cornerback to its secondary this offseason, and Sherman would have been just that. Sherman, 28, has two years left on a hefty four-year extension he signed in 2014, but because the Patriots would have only been responsible for Sherman’s base salary (and not his prorated signing bonus), Sherman would have been relatively affordable. His $11.431MM cap charge would have ranked just ninth among NFL corners in 2017.

For that price, Sherman would have represented a bargain, even though he’s coming off the worst season of his career, according to Pro Football Focus‘ grades. Given that he’s been one of the best corners in the league throughout his Seattle tenure, Sherman has set a high bar for his performance, so the “worst” campaign of his career amounts to finishing as the NFL’s No. 15 corner, per PFF. Sherman appeared in all 16 games for the fifth consecutive season, racking up four interceptions and 58 tackles while playing excellent run defense.

Trades involving stars of Sherman’s ilk don’t typically occur in the NFL, but the Patriots have shown a willingness to make deals this offseason. New England has already completed three deals this month, adding wide receiver Brandin Cooks, tight end Dwayne Allen, and defensive end Kony Ealy at the cost of draft pick compensation.

Seahawks Discussed Richard Sherman Trade

March 29th, 2017 at 10:10am CST by Zachary Links

A couple of weeks ago, longtime NFL executive Michael Lombardi had everyone buzzing when he suggested the Seahawks could consider trading star cornerback Richard Sherman. It’s not clear if Lombardi had direct first-hand knowledge of the situation or if he was mixing his own opinion with league gossip, but it was enough to get people talking.

Today, coach Pete Carroll acknowledged that teams have in fact called about trading for Sherman and the Seahawks have talked about it (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of USA Today). However, he added that he doesn’t see a deal going down.

Sherman signed a four year, $56MM contract extension with the Seahawks in May of 2014. There are two years to go on the contract and it’s a whopper of a deal, even for a player of his caliber. Sherman is set to carry a $13.6MM cap number this season and $13.2MM in 2018, putting him fourth amongst all cornerbacks in terms of average annual value. It has been said that the cornerback position is not necessarily at the heart of the Seahawks’ defensive scheme, so that money could be applied elsewhere while the team can also fill holes with draft picks received in a trade. Historically, blockbuster trades have been rare in the NFL, but the Patriots, Saints, Browns, and Texans all bucked the trend this offseason.

Sherman, who turns 29 on Thursday, has not missed a single regular season game since entering the league in 2011. The lifelong Seahawk had 58 total tackles and four interceptions last year while grading out as Pro Football Focus’ 13th best cornerback in the league.

NFC Notes: Hawks, Falcons, Pack, Saints

February 14th, 2017 at 6:01pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Seahawks had been in danger of losing a second-round pick for failing to disclose cornerback Richard Sherman‘s “significant” MCL injury during the season, but the NFL decided Monday to let them off with a warning, tweets Mike Garafolo of NFL.com. The league concluded that the Seahawks merely misinterpreted its rules, per Garafolo. The news that Seattle is escaping punishment isn’t particularly surprising, as one of Garafolo’s NFL.com colleagues, Ian Rapoport, reported earlier this month that Seattle wasn’t going to face serious discipline for its violation.

More from Seattle and a few other NFL cities:

The Falcons have hired Bush Hamdan as their quarterbacks coach, reports Sporting News’ Alex Marvez (Twitter link). The younger brother of former NFL quarterback Gibran Hamdan, Bush Hamdan spent the previous two seasons as the University of Washington’s wide receivers coach and pass game coordinator. He’s taking over in Atlanta for Matt LaFleur, now the Rams’ offensive coordinator. In doing so, Hamdan will reunite with head coach Dan Quinn, notes Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter), as the two worked together at the University of Florida in 2012.
The Packers have a decision to make on pending free agent defensive back Micah Hyde, who could seek $4MM-plus per year on his next contract, writes Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. Hyde, who’s coming off an 11-start, three-interception season, has been with the Packers since they selected him in the fifth round of the 2013 draft. If Hyde moves on, Green Bay could turn to Kentrell Brice and Marwin Evans, Demovsky suggests. Elsewhere in the secondary, the team will either extend safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix or exercise his fifth-year option for 2018, as Demovsky opines that the Pro Bowler could be general manager Ted Thompson‘s best first-round pick since he chose Aaron Rodgers in 2005. Clinton-Dix made a strong case for that honor as a third-year pro in 2016, when he played every defensive snap for the Packers and picked off five passes.
Newly signed Seahawks kicker Blair Walsh‘s single-year contract is worth $1.1MM and includes no guaranteed money, per Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com. Walsh stands to earn an $800K salary and could make another $300K in bonuses. The Seahawks are likely to bring in another kicker to compete against Walsh for the job this summer. Odds are that won’t be soon-to-be free agent Steven Hauschka, observes Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, considering the five-year Seahawk will likely be out of their price range.
Continuing a Seahawks-heavy set of notes, defensive end Cliff Avril tweeted that he underwent successful surgery Tuesday. Avril didn’t specify which type of surgery he underwent, though Condotta points out that the physician who performed the procedure – Dr. William C. Meyers – specializes in core and sports hernia operations. Regardless, Avril should be fine for 2017 and will attempt to build on his first Pro Bowl season – an 11.5-sack, five-forced fumble campaign.
Fullback John Kuhn‘s one-year pact with the Saints is a minimum salary benefit deal worth $1.08MM, tweets Nick Underhill of The Advocate. Kuhn will earn a $1MM salary and count $695K against New Orleans’ cap in 2017.

Seahawks Will Not Be Heavily Penalized For Richard Sherman Incident

February 5th, 2017 at 9:09am CST by Rory Parks

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that the Seahawks will not be heavily penalized, if they are penalized at all, for failing to disclose via injury report that cornerback Richard Sherman played the 2016 season with a significant MCL injury.

After Seattle’s season came to an end in the divisional round of the playoffs, head coach Pete Carroll revealed that his star corner had battled the injury all season. But while Sherman appeared on the “did not participate in practice” report in 11 separate weeks, his absence was explained as “not injury-related” in 10 such weeks. The other week was officially chalked up to an ankle injury.

As such, the team was clearly in violation of league policy, and it might have lost a second-round pick as a result. Carroll might also have received a fine. Last September, of course, the league fined Carroll $200K and heavily punished the Seahawks – they received a $400K fine to go along with a loss of a a fifth-round pick and a week of OTAs – after they violated its rules regarding contact practices in the offseason.

But according to Rapoport (via Twitter), Sherman’s injury materials were provided to the league, even if the team was lax in reporting the injury to its opposition. As such, Rapoport believes the violation is not viewed as an egregious one, and the team may escape punishment entirely. The league’s inquiry into the matter is wrapping up, and an official decision will presumably be announced soon.

NFC Notes: Wolf, Seahawks, Vikings, Rams

January 19th, 2017 at 2:13pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Packers director of football operations Eliot Wolf has accepted a new contract in Green Bay and withdrawn from the 49ers’ search for a general manager, reports Tom Pelissero of USA Today. He’s the second candidate this week to bow out of San Francisco’s hunt for a GM, joining Seahawks co-director of player personnel Trent Kirchner. One of Wolf’s colleagues in Green Bay, director of player personnel Brian Gutekunst, and Vikings assistant GM George Paton are continuing to vie for the 49er job and will conduct second interviews with the team next week.

NFC Notes: Romo, Elliott, Seahawks, Graham

January 17th, 2017 at 10:31am CST by Connor J. Byrne

Quarterback Tony Romo could ask for his release this offseason, and the Cowboys should grant it, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. If that were to happen, Romo would be able to pick his next employer (perhaps Denver) and negotiate a good deal for himself, and that team wouldn’t weaken itself by giving up a draft pick(s) for the soon-to-be 37-year-old. On the other hand, Florio notes that the Cowboys have the right to seek compensation for Romo via trade, though he points out that the club could otherwise designate Dak Prescott‘s backup as a post-June 1 cut and save $14MM in cap space in 2017.

Speaking on 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones wasn’t willing to elaborate on what he’ll do with Romo in the coming months. “We’ve got a lot to think about here, but that’s in the future,” he said (via Todd Archer of ESPN.com). Jones did opine, though, that Romo has enough left in the tank to lead a team to a Super Bowl.

Seahawks Notes: Shead, Sherman, Willson

January 16th, 2017 at 1:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

Seahawks starting cornerback DeShawn Shead will undergo surgery to repair a torn ACL, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Injured during the Seahawks’ divisional-round loss to the Falcons, Shead is looking at a “standard recovery” of around eight months, per Rapoport.

However, Pete Carroll described Shead’s injury as “significant”, per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (on Twitter), and one that will require “a really long time” to overcome. So while this could be Carroll just not wanting to put a timeline on it, his tone indicates Shead could miss some time next season. He did not express that kind of concern about Tyler Lockett‘s availability after his late-season broken leg, so another Richard Sherman counterpart could be required in the starting lineup come the 2017 season.

The 28-year-old Shead started a career-most 15 games for Seattle this season, intercepting one pass, deflecting 14 and making 80 tackles. He will be a restricted free agent. Seattle should not have to worry about placing a $2.8MM second-round tender on Shead now that he’s suffered this injury, Joel Corry of CBS Sports tweets.

Here’s more coming out of Seattle.

Speaking of Sherman, the cornerback played this season with a “significant” MCL injury, Carroll said (via Condotta, on Twitter). Carroll described the injury as weighing on Sherman mentally. The sixth-year cornerback was not listed on the injury report for a knee malady this season, Condotta notes (on Twitter). Sherman’s name appeared on the “Not Injury Related” section of missed-practice reports this season, but the Seahawks are admitting now he was injured, creating a minor controversy. Sherman appeared on the DNP report in 11 separate weeks, Michael Cohen of SeattlePI.com tweets, with 10 such weeks being listed as NIR and the other for an ankle ailment. The All-Pro talent is under contract with the Seahawks through 2018.
Luke Willson, though, is an impending UFA and said he hopes to stay with the Seahawks next season. Although, the tight end said he hasn’t talked with the team about a new deal, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times tweets. Willson’s fourth season as a Seahawk ended as his worst statistically. He played in just 11 games and caught only 15 passes for 129 yards for an offense that featured a re-emerging Jimmy Graham.
Carroll sounded like he believed the current cast of offensive linemen could improve as opposed to being set on seeking upgrades, Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com tweets. After a season that featured Russell Wilson battling injuries and the offensive front struggling to secure a pocket for the franchise passer, Kapadia argues standing pat here would be a mistake. The Seahawks spent the least amount of money on their offensive line this season, and Pro Football Focus graded the NFC West champions’ unit as the worst in the league.

NFC Notes: Seahawks, Thurmond, Giants

February 13th, 2016 at 9:44am CST by Ben Levine

Some assorted notes from around the NFC…

The 2016 base salaries for several Seahawks players will be guaranteed today, tweets Joel Corry of CBSSports.com. The list includes Richard Sherman ($12.569MM), Russell Wilson ($12.342MM), Cliff Avril ($6MM) and K.J. Wright ($5.25MM). $6MM of Earl Thomas‘ $8MM 2016 salary is also guaranteed today (via Corry).
The Eagles and free agent safety Walter Thurmond haven’t started discussions on an extension, tweets Geoff Mosher. The two sides are expected to start talking at the NFL Combine.
Jordan Raanan of NJ.com puts the Giants chance of retaining cornerback Prince Amukamara at “40 percent.” With the 26-year-old expected to fetch a contract of at least $10MM annually, Raanan isn’t convinced that the team is willing to spend at the position.
Raanan also believes the Giants should pursue Dolphins defensive end Olivier Vernon. The 25-year-old is younger than Mario Williams (who is expected to be released) and he’s more dependable than Jason Pierre-Paul.