Colts fans don’t think the team should pursue a trade for Richard Sherman

Earlier this week, the talk of the Seahawks exploring trade possibilities for cornerback Richard Sherman picked up, as GM John Schneider admitted that the reports in the news about that very thing are real.

So, with the Colts needing cornerback help and with Sherman possibly available, would it make sense for the Colts to pursue a trade for Richard Sherman? That’s the question we asked our readers on Wednesday, and you made it clear that the majority opinion among fans is that the Colts should not pursue the trade.

Over 2,700 readers have voted in the poll as of the time of this article publishing, and the results are quite clear: 72% say the Colts should not pursue a trade for Richard Sherman.

It’s important to note that the presumed asking price for Sherman would be similar to what the Jets got for Darrelle Revis a few years ago, a first and a fourth round pick. So this wasn’t just a question of whether Richard Sherman be a good addition for the Colts but more specifically about whether the Colts should pursue him in a trade, assuming a similar asking price to what the Revis trade brought. That’s a much different - and more important - conversation on this matter.

The reality is that it’s probably unlikely that Sherman will go anywhere, as it doesn’t seem like Seattle is (or should be) eagerly looking to get rid of one of the game’s top cornerbacks - though it sounds like it’s Sherman who wants out and who initiated the trade talks, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Sherman is a four-time Pro Bowler and a three-time first-team All-Pro, and he’s been terrific during his six seasons in Seattle.

So there are multiple factors at play here that likely cause Colts fans to be against trading for him (which is where I would fall too, by the way). First is the assumed asking price, which would be a steep cost to pay for a rebuilding team. Second is the fact that the Colts have already expressed their desire to add a young corner, while Sherman is 29 (so not super old, but not quite young by NFL terms either). Third is the fact that, unlike a rookie, Sherman will be expensive right away, with cap hits over $13 million in each of the next two seasons. Fourth is the fit with the team, and on this matter perhaps especially pertinent is the fit in the locker room. It seems like teammates like Sherman and it’s unfair to suggest he has character concerns, but there have been multiple incidents of him publicly yelling at coaches on the sidelines. Chris Ballard is very aware of the message he sends to his team and the impact of moves on the locker room, so he might look more cautiously at those incidents than others might.

Pairing Sherman with Vontae Davis would look pretty nice for the cornerback position, but that doesn’t mean trading for him would be the right move unless the asking price is considerably lower than expected. That seems to be the general consensus of Colts fans too.