Patriots reportedly not interested in trading for Richard Sherman

The Seattle Seahawks are shopping Richard Sherman to other teams leading up to the NFL Draft later this month, but they may be wasting their time if they call the New England Patriots.

Tom E. Curran of CSSNE.com reports that the Patriots are not interested in trading for Sherman. It’s unclear if New England is turned off by Sherman’s salary, Seattle’s asking price or some other factor, but a source told Curran it is not happening.

The most obvious reason the Patriots would be out on Sherman is that they have no room for him. Talks between New England and the New Orleans Saints regarding Malcolm Butler appear to have cooled, and the Saints say they are not going to sign Butler — a restricted free agent — to an offer sheet and risk having to give the Patriots the No. 11 overall pick in the draft. There had been talk about Bill Belichick giving Sean Payton somewhat of a discount, (such as getting back the No. 32 overall pick that New England traded for star wide receiver Brandin Cooks), but that appears unlikely.

Butler has until April 21 to sign his restricted free agent tender, and it seems like he is going to end up having to do just that. If and when that happens, he’ll be under contract for the 2017 at around $3.9 million and will likely play opposite newly-signed cornerback Stephon Gilmore.

Sherman is said to be open to being traded to the Patriots, and both Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider have said the team is exploring the possibility of dealing the All-Pro. However, if you believe what Sherman said this week, the Legion of Boom will likely remain intact for at least another season.