Best timing for Richard Sherman trade would be during the draft

If the Seahawks find a trade partner for cornerback Richard Sherman, the timing of the consummation of the deal becomes critical. Not for the team that gets Sherman, but for the Seahawks.

For example, if the Titans offer the 18th overall pick in the draft for Sherman (I’m not saying that they would or should, but in theory they could), the Seahawks would prefer not to acquire that pick now or next week or at any time before the pick is on the clock. Whoever the Seahawks would be targeting, it’s important not to plant a flag in the ground when other picks remain to be made. Doing so becomes a recipe for being leapfrogged.

So the best outcome, if a trade happens, would be for the Seahawks to pull the trigger when they have a clear shot at the guy they want, whether it’s pick No. 18 or No. 118 or anything in between.

It’s also possible for the Seahawks and another team to condition the trade on the player that the Seahawks want still being there when the pick Seattle would be getting is on the clock. If the player is there, the deal goes through; if not, no deal.

That approach would require a high degree of discretion and secrecy, but both sides would have a strong interest in keeping things quiet. So don’t be surprised, then, if things remain quiet for the next three weeks, with the first hint of a deal coming once the Commissioner strolls to the podium and declares to the football-following world, “There has been a trade.”