AP

As the holdout of Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor lingers with neither side blinking and no opportunity for the two sides to save face, a possible trade at some point becomes viable.

According to Jordan Raanan of NJ.com, the Giants and Seahawks had preliminary discussions about a trade, with the Giants expressing “serious interest” in acquiring Chancellor.

As Raanan notes, the Giants tried to sign safety Devin McCourty in free agency. The Giants have had plenty of injuries at the position, and with a a lack of stars on the defensive side of the ball, Chancellor quickly could become the nucleus of the team’s defense.

The leak to Raanan may have been part of a deliberate effort to ensure that Chancellor and his agent know about the possibility of a trade, which could prompt either or both of them to begin privately or publicly agitating for a deal that would send Chancellor to a new city. Sure, that would be tampering; as long as Raanan doesn’t give up his source (and he surely won’t), only a full-blown Ted Wells prosecution would have a chance at catching the Giants.

It’s unknown what it would take to get Chancellor from Seattle, or what it would take to get Chancellor to show up for a new team. It’s now known that the Giants are in play.