Reports: Walter Thurmond set to visit with Jaguars
Mar 11, 2014, 2:53 PM | Updated: 2:54 pm
By Brady Henderson
Count this among the least surprising developments of free agency: Cornerback Walter Thurmond has reportedly scheduled a visit with the Jaguars.
The Seahawks and Jaguars have a connection in the form of Gus Bradley, who was Seattle’s defensive coordinator before becoming Jacksonville’s head coach. It’s created a pipeline that has carried several former Seahawks defenders to Jacksonville, the latest being Red Bryant, who signed a four-year deal after he was released by Seattle.
Thurmond just finished his rookie contract with the Seahawks, who thought enough of his potential to draft him in the fourth round in 2010 even though he was coming off a serious knee injury he had sustained in college.
Injuries limited Thurmond to 22 games over his first three seasons, but in 2013 he stayed healthy while serving as Seattle’s nickel cornerback. He moved into the starting lineup in Week 11 and returned his first and only career interception for a touchdown, but he was suspended for the next four games due to a violation of the league’s substance-abuse policy.
Byron Maxwell started opposite Richard Sherman after Thurmond’s suspension, playing well enough to project as the starter again next season. That means that Thurmond’s best path to a starting role and the contract that comes with it might be signing elsewhere.
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