Salk: Would I trade Earl Thomas for a 1st and a 3rd? It’s time

Would I trade Earl Thomas for a first-round and a third-round draft pick?

Yes and heck yes. It’s time.

But I understand that this one will be harder than trading Michael Bennett or releasing Richard Sherman, because this one requires doing it before you have to.

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This is the lesson that Bennett, Sherm, Kam Chancellor, Felix Hernandez and others should have taught us in Seattle. That doesn’t make it easy, but sometimes you let a player go too early – in all sports. Randy Johnson sure comes to mind with the Mariners, but I think it happens less in football.

• The case against Earl: he’s suffered injuries the last two years, has only two picks in each of those last two seasons and just one forced fumble over that time. And while he is still fast and awesome, the eye test says he’s made fewer game-changing plays. Earl wants to get paid, has threatened to hold out and has publicly walked into another locker room and asked that team’s coach to come get him.

• The case for Earl: He is still one of the best safeties in the game. He’s not quite old yet. And he plays as hard as anyone.

• The irrelevant: Saying he is “irreplaceable.” Sorry, that designation if for QBs only. There is always another way to skin the cat in the NFL.

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