Rob Sims didn’t force the hand of the Seattle Seahawks, but he did make it easier for the team to trade the veteran guard.</p>

The plan was for Sims to sign his tender offer as a restricted free agent with the Seahawks today, according to John Clayton of ESPN, thus green-lighting the team to ship him off in a trade.

The Seahawks asked the veteran guard to stay away from the volunrary offseason workout program while it worked on a deal for him. By signing the tender for $1.101 million, Sims can now be dealt to another team. Of course, any team trading for him would likely desire a longterm contract, a matter that agent Joel Segal is no doubt working on.

The Detroit Lions have been considered a frontrunner in the Sims sweepstakes. The Chicago Bears are interested and reports today indicate that the Philadelphia Eagles may be in play for Sims. Sims was tendered as an RFA at the original round of compensation, the fourth round. At this point, the Seahawks might not get that high of a pick for him. Everyone knows the team is working to deal him, and that may drive the price down. If a team felt that a fourth was a bargain, surely someone would have put together an offer sheet for him. Stay tuned.

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