The latest scuttlebutt out of the NFL rumor mill is that former 4th overall pick Aaron Curry is on the trade block for the Seattle Seahawks. These rumors are to be expected after the public and humiliating "benching" Curry received last week. In reality, Curry still got some playing time but the change in 'starter' status is significant for a player that was once considered one of the safest bets in the 2009 Draft, and is the highest-paid player on Seattle's defense.
The rumors were started when a mysterious and thoroughly un-vetted Twitter account run by a guy named Rich Smith indicated that five teams were interested in Curry's services, - the Eagles, Cardinals, Giants, Panthers and Chiefs.
It's entirely possible this is just logical dot-connecting and I'm definitely not corroborating this 'report', but it's no rumor that the Seahawks restructured Curry's contract a month or so ago. This restructuring makes it easier for the team to release him after this season, and also makes it easier to trade the underwhelming outside linebacker. Logic also dictates that the Seahawks wouldn't have done this if they saw Curry as their long-term answer at outside linebacker, so why wouldn't they shop him around?
I'm not one for talking about baseless rumors, but even if this report is just a wild guess, it does stand to reason that the Seahawks would look to get something in return for a player that they very likely have no future plans with.
Curry himself has perpetuated these rumors a bit by commenting on it on his Twitter account, responding to fans' questions about the rumors of a trade with "It's possible" and "it was expected"... I'm not sure what he means by that or if he has more information than us, but it's interesting nonetheless.
The problem is, of course, that Curry is probably not that attractive to other teams -- he's underperformed here and is due upwards of $10 million in the next two seasons.
Dave Softy Mahler, of KJR 950, reported today that a source in the NFL has said that the most Seahawks' fans can hope for in return for an Aaron Curry trade is a seventh round draft pick. Not exactly the return on investment you'd hope for. Regardless, perhaps the Seahawks will find a team that thinks very highly of Curry and they'll make a deal. Maybe they'll run with Curry until the end of the season. Maybe a light will go on and Curry will play his way into a new contract. I doubt the latter option because frankly I think that Curry cannot wait to get out of Seattle.