Significant changes are coming to the Seattle Seahawks in 2018. All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman has said goodbye to his Seahawks teammates, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Shortly after that news, Josina Anderson of ESPN reported that Seattle is sending Pro Bowl defensive end Michael Bennett to the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
#Seahawks CB Richard Sherman has told teammates goodbye over the past 24 hours, sources say, and that he won't be on the team. Those close to him say nothing is set in stone and there has been no official word. But clearly bears watching.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 7, 2018
I'm told DE Michael Bennett is going to be traded to the Philadelphia #Eagles.
— Josina Anderson (@JosinaAnderson) March 7, 2018
Today's news is significant for the NFC West because the Seahawks have consistently been one of the best teams within the division. 2017 was the first season Seattle failed to make the playoffs since 2011.
In November, the 29-year-old Sherman left a Thursday night game against the Arizona Cardinals with a ruptured Achilles tendon, which he suffered while getting tangled up with wide receiver John Brown late in the third quarter. Following the play, Sherman was seen grabbing at his ankle and then limping on the sideline.
Sherman, who played college football at Stanford, was a fifth-round draft pick by the Seahawks in 2011. He has been selected to four Pro Bowls and is a three-time first-team All-Pro.
Sherman, a seven-year veteran, has registered 367 combined tackles, 32 interceptions, 99 passes defensed, a sack, and five forced fumbles over his career.
Seattle was already heading into 2018 with uncertainty on defense. Injuries to Sherman, safety Kam Chancellor, and defensive end Cliff Avril left critics to question if the "Legion of Boom" might be over. The Seahawks plucked Ken Norton Jr. from the San Francisco 49ers' staff, which he was a part of for about a week, to replace fired defensive coordinator Kris Richard.
Bennett, who played college football at Texas A&M, was signed by the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He was claimed off waivers by the Buccaneers in October of 2009 and spent the next three seasons with Tampa Bay. Bennett returned to Seattle as an unrestricted free agent in 2013 and went on to be selected to three Pro Bowls.
Bennett, a nine-year veteran, has registered 293 combined tackles, 54 sacks, four passes defensed, and eight forced fumbles over his career.
Both Sherman and Bennett were with the Seahawks during the team's Super Bowl XLVIII championship.