Adam Schefter: Seahawks’ Earl Thomas ‘expected to return’

In the midst of the Seahawks’ roster and coaching staff turnover has been ongoing Earl Thomas trade rumors. And it doesn’t come as much of a surprise: Thomas is in the last year of his contract and has voiced his desire for a new deal, while the Seahawks are dealing with a tight salary cap and a lack of draft capital (both of which can be relieved with a trade of Thomas).

However, Thomas is also one of Seattle’s best players, and arguably the best safety in the league. Trading him would make it even harder on a defense heading into 2018 short several Pro Bowl veterans.

Seahawks GM John Schneider talks about team’s newest additions

While there’s no definitive answer yet – and certainly more rumors ahead – ESPN’s Adam Schefter offered Seahawks fans a bit of relief Wednesday during an interview with 710 ESPN Seattle’s Danny, Dave and Moore.

“He is expected to return,” Schefter said of Thomas. “That’s been my understanding all along, that he is expected to return. There’s been a lot of smoke, a lot of discussion, a lot of speculation. I’m sure it’ll continue to go on until the draft comes and goes. But my understanding is that you could look for Earl Thomas to be back right now. And we’ll see how that plays out.”

Here are a few other notes from Schefter’s interview with Danny, Dave and Moore:

• The Seahawks face stiff competition in the NFC West this year. What does Schefter make of the newest additions for the Rams?: “It’s going to be very interesting to follow. I think that the Rams have given themselves a chance to be better. You just never know how these parts are going to all fit together. You just never know. So while it looks attractive on paper and it looks like a dream team, we don’t know how these guys are going to work together. They were a very good team last year. I’m not going to say they’re better. They have a chance to better. And just like they have a chance to be better, the 49ers should be better. But Seattle’s been a very good team for a very long period of time [and] they still have the quarterback position secured. So, I still think Seattle will be competitive. But we’ll see.”

• The Seahawks released backup quarterback Trevone Boykin, now under investigation for domestic violence. If you were the Seahawks, would you pursue Colin Kaepernick as a backup to Russell Wilson?: “That’s a loaded question. He’s better than a lot of quarterbacks that are in the league that have jobs, so I certainly would give that some strong consideration if it were me.”

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