Well, it was fun while it lasted.

The Patriots won't be in the Richard Sherman business this offseason. They are not interested in trading for him, according to a source.

Seattle GM John Schneider acknowledged on Wednesday that the trade buzz surrounding the long, tall, talkative, talented corner was very real. Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald then reported that the Patriots -- while not aggressively pursuing the possibility of Sherman - may look to trade for him if they lost restricted free agent Malcolm Butler.

As of this morning, though, that possibility is kaput.

The Sherman trade talk began last month when former Patriots executive Mike Lombardi mentioned on a podcast for The Ringer that he was hearing Sherman could be dealt. Spitballing began then about Sherman coming to New England and it never really lost steam until now.

Whether it was Sherman's salary ($11 million each of the next two seasons), Seattle's would-be asking price or, perhaps, a sign of detente on the Malcolm Butler front is unknown.

But our Mike Giardi said Wednesday on Boston Sports Tonight that, according to a source, Butler is beginning to understand that he'll probably wind up signing his tender with the Patriots and playing out 2017 in New England.

As a restricted free agent, Butler has until April 21 to sign an offer sheet with another team, which the Patriots can then match or refuse. If they refuse, they get the first-round pick of the team Butler signed with. That's a steep price, especially when Butler is reportedly trying to get a top-of-market deal to boot.

And the lack of buzz surrounding Butler is reflective of that. Only the Saints expressed real interest and they said they aren't parting with their pick.

So while we still don't know for sure who'll be playing corner opposite Stephon Gilmore in September, we do know Richard Sherman won't be.