Tennessee Titans: Richard Sherman Trade Shouldn’t Be An Option
By Dale Lolley
The Tennessee Titans have been mentioned as a possible trade destination for Richard Sherman, but they should pass on any deal.
No sooner had news broken that the Seattle Seahawks were shopping All-Pro corner Richard Sherman than speculation began about possible landing spots. And the Tennessee Titans have been one of the most-speculated landing spots.
But when the phone rings, Titans general manager Jon Robinson should take his phone off the hook. Why shouldn’t the Titans, who ranked 30th in pass defense in 2016, make a pitch for Sherman? The reasons are many, but the main ones are simple.
Sherman has two years remaining on a contract that will pay him more than $22 million in combined base salary the next two seasons. He would automatically join the team as its highest-paid player. And while the team has the cap space, that doesn’t mean it should make an outsider its highest-paid player. That’s especially true when that player is a 29-year-old cornerback.
Like running backs, corners have a shelf life that is tied to their age. Fact is, Sherman, while still good, isn’t the quarterback killer he was a couple of years ago. Father time can be cruel to cornerbacks. Ask Darrelle Revis.
While the Seahawks might have had pressure to pay Sherman not only for what they thought he would do in the future, but for what he’d also done in the past, the Titans do not. They have to look at what Sherman will do for them the next two seasons. And he will not be an $11-million-per-year player moving forward. The cost for Sherman, not only in cap space, but in draft picks and/or players would also be too great.
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Again, the Titans have to think about whether having two years of Sherman as opposed to, say, at least five years of Marshon Lattimore. Would it be worth the price in both draft picks and cap space? That does not appear to be the case in this instance. The Titans should take a pass on a trade for Sherman and stick with their plan of building through thoughtful free agent pickups and the draft.