New England Patriots tried to trade for Richard Sherman

March 29 (UPI) -- Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots probably still had Super Bowl confetti embedded in their hair when they started preparing for next season.

Despite losing some key players on both sides of the ball, the Patriots were quick to upgrade at wide receiver and cornerback. But the famed franchise tried to bring another All-Pro to Foxborough, according to NFL Network national insider Ian Rapoport.

Rapoport reported Wednesday that the Patriots were "among the teams that inquired" about Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman's availability. Seahawks general manager John Schneider said the team wouldn't rule out "listening."

"I mean, we listen," Schneider said, via ESPN.com. "We listen to like everything you would think. We're in a lot of stuff. We try to pride ourselves on that. I think I've told you guys before we walk away from 98 percent of the deals that we're involved with or talking about.

"But at least we know that we've knocked down their door, we've gone in there and checked it out. We're not just going to assume. We always just have to constantly be thinking about the organization and how we're going to move it forward."

Sherman, 28, is due $11.4 million in 2017 and $11 million in 2018, the final year of his contract.

The Patriots had the third-best rushing defense in the NFL last season but had the No. 10 passing defense in the AFC.