PHOENIX -- Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said Tuesday the team has fielded inquiries from teams looking to trade for cornerback Richard Sherman.
Carroll also said he doesn't expect anything to come from those conversations.
"There have been some teams that have called and so we’ve talked about it," Carroll said at the NFL coaches breakfast at the league meetings on Wednesday. "He’s extremely important to our football team, I don’t see anything happening at all.
Carroll also echoed general manager John Schneider's comments from Tuesday that they are willing to listening for opportunities to improve their team.
"You’re either competing or you’re not, you know?" Carroll said. "We’ve always had to be open for everything, every suggestions that comes along."
Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported Wednesday that the New England Patriots were one of the teams to inquire about Sherman before they signed free agent cornerback Stephon Gilmore.
While the Seahawks aren't going out of their way to put a "For Sale" sign on Sherman, they're aren't exactly closing up the shop either. It doesn't seem particularly practical for a Sherman deal to actually happen this offseason anyway. Seattle is lacking some depth at cornerback as it is and trading away their best option doesn't make them better, at least on the surface.
But teams are reaching out to the Seahawks to explore the possibilities. And it seems the Seahawks will continue to answer the calls.
"It has been talked about and he's a great player and could impact another team, I see why people would be interested in him," Carroll said.
Carroll did say he was anxious to see how Sherman would respond coming back after some of the issues experienced last season.
"Richard went through a lot last year, most of it self-inflicted," Carroll said. "He got out there and he was in the midst of a season that was really challenging for him.
"If you remember when he did have his issue, it was right in the midst of playing some great players week after week after week, and he was teed up for it and jacked about it and all of that and he was competing like crazy.
"He’s a fantastic battler. The only thing that happened is that he just didn’t come back to us, he didn’t re-set as he has. He has always found his way to reset, and he kind of stayed on the edge throughout the season, which was very challenging for him, because that’s a lot to carry. He’s a very capable guy at dealing with all of the issues that the league brings and offers for guys and he’s a guy that is always going to be out in front, that’s where he should be. He’s an extraordinary football player and an exceptional young man. It just was a challenge for him. So I’m hoping things balance out more so for him so he doesn’t have to carry an additional burden of just trying to be one of the best players in the NFL that he is. I’m expecting him to do a really good job, he always has. Sometimes the turnaround time just takes a little bit longer than others."
Photo Credit: GLENDALE, AZ - JANUARY 03: Cornerback Richard Sherman #25 of the Seattle Seahawks argues with side judge Tom Hill #97 in the first quarter of the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at the University of Phoenix Stadium on January 3, 2016 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)