By John Sarianides

Here are four stories in the NFL that caught my attention this week.

1st Down: Richard Sherman Asked for a Trade: I must admit, this is surprising to me. It speaks to how bad things are between Sherman and the Seahawks. Why would one of the top corners in the league that plays in a scheme catered to his talent want out? It makes no sense? 

Of course the Seahawks have made it virtually impossible to trade for Sherman because they want a first rounder and a player in return. That is a steep price to pay. A team that needs a cornerback like the Dallas Cowboys should inquire. Maybe Byron Jones and the 28th pick would be enough to get it done. 

2nd Down: Big Ben is Back: Roethlisberger was never going to retire. He’s due to make $64 million over the next three years. He is not going to leave that kind of money on the table. 

There is no question that Big Ben’s play is starting to regress but he is still the best option at quarterback for the Steelers. 

It wouldn’t surprise me if Pittsburgh drafted a quarterback early in the upcoming draft. They need to have a plan in place because Roethisberger is probably going to be year to year in terms of whether or not he plays moving forward. 

3rd Down: The Patriots Have Offered LeGarrette Blount a Contract: The Patriots have reportedly offered Blount a contract but he is balking because the terms don’t meet what he is looking for. Blount wants stability and he wants to get paid after his 18 touchdown campaign of 2016.

The problem is Blount is 30 and he plays running back. A position teams don’t overpay anymore. Add to that a stacked running back class in the upcoming draft and you can see why Blount is still on the market. 

Beggars can’t be choosey. The Patriots are probably offering Blount a one year deal. At this point, he should just take it. 

4th Down: The Falcons Lock Up Trufant Long Term: The Falcons gave Trufant a five year, $69 million dollar extension. $42 million of it is guaranteed. That is a lot of money for a cornerback who missed all of last season and has been a good not great player in his career.

Trufant got elite cornerback money. Let’s see if he plays at that level moving forward. The Falcons obviously think he can otherwise they would not have given him so much guaranteed money. He could thrive in Dan Quinn’s system.