It’s been roughly three weeks since rumors started swirling that Seattle might be interested in trading Richard Sherman, and in that time, the Seahawks haven’t exactly denied that he’s on the trading block. 

As a matter of fact, it’s been the opposite. 

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and team general manager John Schneider have both confirmed that a Sherman trade is something that could possibly happen before the offseason’s over. 

So why would the Seahawks want to trade an All-Pro corner who still has two years left on his contract?

Well, what if they don’t really want to and they only initiated trade talks because Sherman asked to be dealt out of Seattle?

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, that’s exactly what happened, and that’s why Sherman is now on the trading block. 

“My understanding is that Richard Sherman initiated this,” Schefter said of the trade talks on Wednesday, via ESPN.com. “He was looking to get out of Seattle. He was open to that idea. They’re accommodating by listening to trade offers and they’ll see what happens.”

It’s not completely crazy to think that Sherman wants out of Seattle. After all, he did have a rough season in 2016 and the team didn’t seem to appreciate all of his antics. 

Not only did Sherman blow off the media several times this season, but he also clashed with Seattle’s offensive coordinator and battled injuries for most of the year. That’s the kind of combination that potentially makes you expendable. 

If Sherman does want out of Seattle, that would explain why Schneider and Carroll have been so open about the subject of trading him.

For the most part, a team’s head coach and general manager won’t normally comment on trade rumors surrounding their players, especially an established star like Sherman. However, in this case, Schneider and Carroll may have been more open about answering questions so that other teams would know just how available Sherman is. 

During an interview this week with with 710 ESPN Seattle’s “Brock and Salk” show, Schneider said that there’s an open line of communication between everyone in the organization, which could be why Sherman felt comfortable telling them he wanted out, without hurting his status on the team if no deal were to get done. 

“People find things out and we’re not going to lie to each other and we’re not going to BS each other,” Schneider said. “It’s going to be all laid out, and like I said, that doesn’t happen everywhere. We have open lines of communication between our coaching staff and our player personnel staff. It goes through player development, it goes through our sports science group. There’s a lot going on there.”

If Sherman does want out of Seattle, it would also explain why he doesn’t feel like there’s any “bad blood” with the front office over the trade talks. In a text to MMQB.com’s Albert Breer, Sherman said he has a great relationship with the Seahawks. 

“Very little chance [a trade] happens, but both sides are listening,” Sherman wrote. “I honestly don’t have much more to say about it than what I’ve already said. We have a great relationship. … There is a lot of love and respect. There is no bad blood.”

Well, there might be a little bad blood. In an interview with NFL.com, Sherman’s brother, Branton, made it seem like the Seahawks were the ones trying to get rid of Sherman and not the other way around. 

“They’re making it seem like they don’t need him. This is the same player that everyone doubted and denied, saying he’s too tall, too slow, his hips aren’t good enough, fifth-rounder,” Branton said. “This is a new chip Richard is going to use. He’s going to be like, ‘You think you can trade me? I’m going to show you guys. That you would even talk about trading me...’ This is a new obstacle, mentally.”

No matter who initiated the trade idea, Sherman seems mentally ready to be dealt. During a recent interview with 710 ESPN in Seattle, the corner said he understands the NFL is “business” and that organization philosophies change. 

The Sherman trade talks will definitely add some spice to the NFL Draft because if a deal does down, there’s a good chance it will happen then.