After initial reports circulated about the monumental asking price to acquire Seattle Seahawks All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman had many, if not everyone, question if the expectations were at all realistic, the Seahawks are working towards the “affordability” factor in their efforts to trade their star corner.
Let’s start at square one. Tuesday, on the NFL Network, Mike Garafolo said that Seattle was seeking a “first-round pick and another mid-round pick.” This came a week after Miami Herald’s Armando Salguero reported that the Seahawks were seeking “a very good player plus a high draft pick.”
Either way Seattle was expecting a king’s ransom in return for Sherman.
USA Today’s Tom Pelissero reported that a deal equaling the 2013 trade that sent then New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the 13th overall pick and a 4th round pick in the NFL draft, could get a deal for Sherman done.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio is reporting that the Seahawks are now dropping their asking price for Sherman as a way to get a deal done. It should also be noted that Sherman could influence the asking price of any deal depending on Sherman’s willingness to play for an interested team.
It would appear that the Seahawks are not going to get the first round pick they are seeking. It’s more likely that a return for Sherman could fetch a 3rd round pick and perhaps another mid-round pick, but I don’t see any team giving up a 1st, a top player, a combination of the two, or even a 2nd round pick in this year’s draft, which is deep defensively.
The NFL Draft’s deep talent pool at the defensive end of the ball certainly contributes to Sherman’s market value and team’s may determine it’s better to draft a younger, less expensive corner in the draft opposed to dolling off draft picks or player(s) for Sherman.