Report: Colts not interested in trading for Richard Sherman

Trade talk regarding Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman has really picked up recently, particularly because the Seahawks and Sherman have confirmed that talks are taking place.

The Colts need a cornerback, and Sherman - one of the best in the NFL - seems to be available. So will Indianapolis go after Sherman? It doesn’t sound like it.

According to the Indianapolis Star’s Stephen Holder, the team isn’t interested in trading for Sherman:

Look, this isn’t going to happen. Richard Sherman will not be wearing a Colts uniform in 2017, even though indications are a trade is becoming more likely as the NFL draft draws nigh.

The Colts, we’ve learned, have taken a position on a potential Sherman trade. It is firm and non-negotiable: They’re not biting.

The reason, Holder explains, is that Chris Ballard wants to develop home-grown talent as the foundation of his roster and of the team’s culture. In that plan, there’s not room for trading for Richard Sherman. This shouldn’t really be any surprise, and it seems Colts fans won’t be too upset about it - 71% of fans who voted in our poll said the Colts shouldn’t pursue a trade for Sherman.

There are multiple reasons one could give for the Colts not trading for Richard Sherman. There’s the expected high asking price, Sherman’s double-figure yearly salary, and Sherman’s incidents of yelling at coaches. But it sounds like the primary reason why the Colts aren’t interested is actually much more simple: they’re looking to draft and develop their own foundation, not trade for it.

In free agency, Chris Ballard was very meticulous in his moves, making a number of signings but not making the big-name or big-money signings that other teams made (or that Colts teams in recent years have made). His plan all along was to use the veteran additions to complement his roster but not to build its foundation. It’s been a focus on building through the draft all along, and we should expect the Colts to address the cornerback position then.

Building through the draft is the right strategy to follow, regardless of what your thoughts are of whether the team should pursue a trade for Sherman or not. Ballard understands that this rebuild won’t happen overnight and isn’t reaching to acquire as much veteran talent as possible to try to enter ‘win-now’ mode; he’s playing a longer game in which the foundation of his roster will be built through younger talent. In the long run, that’s the right way to do it. But in the short term, it also means they won’t be trading for Richard Sherman.