Richard Sherman-to-the-Patriots Rumor is Simultaneously Interesting and Terrifying

Richard Sherman has been one of the best cornerbacks in football for the last five years, and here’s a 29th birthday present from the Seahawks: You’re on the trading block.

That’s the bad news.

The good news?

You may be going to the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots.

Sherman turned 29 in late March, just as the rumors hit that he could be dealt. Now, according to the Boston Herald, the Patriots are interested in trading for Sherman if they can’t sign Malcolm Butler.

ASIDE: Obligatory timeout: This could just be a ploy by the Patriots to work out a team-friendly deal with Butler, who was the Super Bowl hero in 2015. Butler has been rumored to land with the Saints, and maybe this is just Bill Belichick playing poker the way Jerry Jones does.

Richard Sherman on one side and Stephon Gilmore on the other? Yikes. That’s scary for opposing QBs. At the same time, ponder this: You could argue that just three years ago, the best cornerbacks were Darrelle Revis, Josh Norman, and Sherman.

Quickly, we’ve seen Revis fall off a cliff and maybe not even make a roster next year; Norman make demands in Carolina to the point he was released, and ended up in Washington; and now Sherman, who runs his mouth more than anyone, may have finally worn out his welcome in Seattle.

Let that sink in. The next time you fall in love with the best cornerback on your favorite team, just remember: Suddenly, they’re disposable.