A wise NFL executive once said the best trades are often the ones you don't make. Another truism: It’s better to trade a player one year early rather than one year late.
In the strange case of Richard Sherman and the Seahawks, I subscribe to the latter. It's time for the verbose four-time Pro Bowl corner to move on from Seattle.
Sherman may not be playing at the peak level he achieved in 2013, when he led the NFL with eight interceptions during the Seahawks' Super Bowl run. But at 29 he remains a talented, productive player. Yet Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider both confirmed back in March that Sherman has been on the trade block this offseason.
Sherman himself is rumored to have initiated the trade conversation. He understands trades are part of the business and might be seeking a fresh start elsewhere. Schneider has said a trade would help the Seahawks’ salary cap situation, plus the GM surely had his eye on a couple premium draft picks in a deal.
A trade did not materialize prior to or during the draft. Maybe the Seahawks were asking too much. Perhaps other teams were apprehensive about trading for a high-salary player who has the look of an egomaniac and has had several well-reported spats with coaches and media.
A combination of factors likely led to the current state of affairs. Carroll now says of a potential trade this year, "the likelihood is zero percent, it seems like."
STEELE: Sherman trade would be typical NFL
A team admitting a player is being shopped is extremely rare. Whenever I was asked about potential trades during my GM years, I would always say the team doesn't talk about possible personnel moves until they happen. Once that bridge is crossed — admitting a trade is a possibility — it's difficult to turn back.
That's why the Sherman-Seattle saga has the look of a combustible situation that will be a thorn in the team's side during the 2017 season.
Carroll and Schneider acknowledging interest in parting ways with Sherman tells me they’re tired of his arrogant act. He has always been a highly visible, boisterous player who thinks he's smarter than most everyone else and is never shy about giving his opinions on any subject, football-related or otherwise.
Which was fine when he was Defensive Player of the Year in 2014 … not so great when his play is not at its peak and when he's dissing coaches.
Carroll is the ultimate players’ coach who gives his guys plenty latitude in their public comments (or non-comments, in the case of Marshawn Lynch). But the tipping point in this relationship obviously came when Sherman got into a sideline shouting match with Darrell Bevell after the offensive coordinator called a goal-line pass play during a late-season win over the Rams. To add fuel to the fire, Sherman told the media post-game, "We've already seen that," referring to the infamous, last-minute interception in the 2014 Super Bowl loss to the Patriots. His outburst prompted a reportedly heated post-game discussion with Carroll.
In addition to the Bevell blow-up, Sherman’s refusal to speak to local media, coupled with a knee injury that affected his play over the second half of last season, made for a difficult 2016. This surely led to a feeling in the organization, and with Sherman, that a split was in everyone's best interest.
When a divorce is inevitable, why wait and put more stress on both parties? It's apparent that Sherman has one foot out the door, so how committed can he possibly be to the team that made him a fifth-round draft pick in 2011?
I know how much coaches and GMs dread dealing with unhappy players, as it often creates tension on a team. And in my current work with an NFL agent group, I've seen how a player who is not pleased with his situation and/or not 100 percent committed will focus on finding a change of scenery as soon as possible.
Sherman is not a burner — he's a 4.5 guy — and while he's obviously a quality player, he's not the most gifted corner athletically. He wins with great technique and smarts. That said, if he has a negative attitude about his future with the Seahawks, it easily could affect his intensity level on the field. He could become a divisive force in the locker room and a distraction to the team, especially the coaching staff.
Carroll has had great success as a head coach, but I also can tell you from my experience working with him (when he was the Vikings’ secondary coach under Bud Grant in the 1980s) that he can coach defensive backs as well as anyone I've ever been around. He and his coaches should be able to rebuild Seattle's secondary over the next few years, given that the new players are reasonably talented and committed.
Schneider and Carroll might have identified Sherman's successor when they drafted Shaquill Griffin in the third round of last month’s draft — the highest drafted defensive back under the current GM and coach. They picked another big corner/safety, Mike Tyson from Cincinnati, in the sixth round.
By re-signing a backup corner in Neiko Thorpe and drafting two safeties, third-rounder Delano Hill and fourth-rounder Tedric Thompson, Seattle clearly is preparing for life after Sherman and star safeties Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor.
MORE: NFL Draft grades
Considering all factors, the best time to trade Sherman was prior to last month's draft. The Seahawks could have picked up premium picks, and Sherman would have been able to acclimate to his new team during the offseason program.
Yet it's not too late for Seattle to deal him and get a high draft pick or two next year, or perhaps a veteran player and a 2018 pick.
If a Sherman trade does not happen this year, it surely will occur in 2018, when he'll be in the last year of his $14 million-per-year deal and the Seahawks could save $8.8 million in cap room.
Both Sherman and Carroll are talking a good game about how the trade rumors will not impact Sherman's concentration or level of play. That's an illusion, not reality.
The best thing for both the Seahawks and Sherman is to exit this shaky situation and make the best deal possible sooner rather than later.
Jeff Diamond is the former president of the Titans and the former vice president/general manager of the Vikings. He was selected NFL Executive of the Year in 1998. Diamond is currently a business and sports consultant who also does broadcast and online media work. He is the former chairman and CEO of The Ingram Group. Follow Jeff on Twitter: @jeffdiamondNFL.
