Why would the Seahawks ever trade Earl Thomas?
Feb 15, 2018, 10:55 AM | Updated: 11:10 am
Earl Thomas had a pick six in the Seahawks' win over the Texans in 2017. (AP)
(AP)
Rumors have been swirling of a potential trade of Seahawks safety Earl Thomas ever since the Seattle Pro Bowler expressed a desire to potentially play for the Cowboys.
Adding fuel to the fire is Seattle’s limited cap space (of which Thomas makes up an $8.5 million hit) and lack of 2018 NFL Draft picks (Seattle enters the draft in April without a second- and third-rounder).
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In the midst of writing some tongue-in-cheek Valentine’s Day notes to Seahawks’ free agent targets, though, Danny, Dave and Moore’s Dave Wyman expressed his desire to retain Thomas – one of the best players in the league already on Seattle’s roster.
“I finally decided, for whatever reason just how much we talked about it, I went back and looked at a game I had recorded and I’m like, ‘You have to keep Earl Thomas,'” Wyman told his 710 ESPN Seattle co-hosts. “You have to keep him. He’s a Hall of Famer – I believe this – he’s a Hall of Famer and I think he’s one of those guys that definitely ends up in your Ring of Honor for the Seahawks. He’s an Ed Reed talent who will play probably for another six or seven years. He is that special. He’s the kind of guy you dream about drafting, and you use a first-round draft choice on him, which they did, and he will deliver for you.
“He’s everything that you want. There’s no better free safety anywhere in the NFL right now. You have to keep him.”
Thomas, 28, has one year left on his four-year, $40 million contract with the Seahawks. He’s expressed his desire to enter the season with a contract extension, telling ESPN in January that he wouldn’t feel comfortable playing without a new deal. Thomas’ request isn’t out-of-the-norm; in the past, Seattle has awarded extensions in similar situations to safety Kam Chancellor (then 29), running back Marshawn Lynch (then 28) and defensive end Michael Bennett (then 30).
The Seahawks originally drafted Thomas as a first-round pick in 2010. In eight seasons with Seattle, Thomas has missed just seven games due to injury, and recorded 25 interceptions, two touchdowns, and 463 tackles.
