The once-vaunted Seattle Seahawks appear to be coming apart at the seams.
The Seahawks failed to reach the postseason in the 2017 campaign after five consecutive playoff seasons. Seattle’s defense lacked the same edge its had in years past, and there’s a chance the unit could be breaking up in the near future.
We’ve already seen some kinks in the armor, as Pro Bowl safety Earl Thomas told Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett after Seattle’s game against Dallas that America’s Team “should come get him” if it can. The Seahawks reportedly also could be moving on from veteran defensive linemen Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril. And safety Kam Chancellor suffered a season-ending neck injury in 2017 that reportedly could jeopardize his career.
Don’t count out Richard Sherman departing from the Pacific Northwest, either.
There were rumblings throughout last season that Seattle was listening to trade offers for Sherman, but the team ultimately decided to hang on to the star cornerback. While it’s unclear if the Seahawks actively are shopping the 29-year-old, they apparently will continue to leave their eyes open about a potential trade.
“The Seahawks entertained trade offers for Richard Sherman a year ago and certainly would do so again – though his injury situation clouds things,” CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora writes.
The injury La Canfora notes occurred in Week 10 when Sherman tore his Achilles in a “Thursday Night Football” game against the Arizona Cardinals. It marked the first time since his rookie season in 2011 that he didn’t start in all 16 regular-season games.
It makes sense why Seattle would at least entertain the idea of trading Sherman. He’ll account for a $13.2 million salary cap hit in 2018 before becoming an unrestricted free agent at the end of the campaign. To avoid letting him walk for nothing, the Seahawks could cut their losses by obtaining some form of compensation.
With that said, it’s tough to gauge what the interest for Sherman would be around the league. Despite closing in on age 30, he’s shown no signs of declining and it appears he still can provide great value. However, trading for Sherman at this stage in his contract effectively would be striking a deal for a rental player.
Seattle is going to have some tough decisions to make with high-profile players this offseason, and it looks like Sherman will be near the top of the list.
