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Earl Thomas

Seahawks Notes: Thomas, Fluker, Fant, Hill

July 21st, 2018 at 3:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

Earl Thomas remains at an impasse with the Seahawks, who’ve stripped the defense — at least, their first and third levels of it — almost completely bare of Thomas’ Super Bowl teammates this offseason. But future franchise tags give the Seahawks the leverage on Thomas in this holdout, Bucky Brooks of NFL.com writes. The 29-year-old safety skipping regular-season weeks would obviously cost him financially, and he must report by the midseason point to avoid his contract tolling over to 2019. Thomas’ four-year, $40MM deal expires after this season. Pete Carroll expects Thomas to be at camp, but Brooks writes the Seahawks probably don’t want to pay him $12MM per year (or north, if the three-time All-Pro is intent on surpassing Eric Berry‘s $13MM-AAV deal that doubles as the safety high-water mark) in what’s been an oddly soft safety market.

If the Seahawks do decide to get serious about a trade, Brooks notes that, beyond the Cowboys, the Chargers, 49ers, Buccaneers and Bengals are the most logical destinations. The Bolts drafted Derwin James and have Jahleel Addae on the books for three more seasons, but Brooks cites the need for a deep centerfielder-type safety nonetheless. And Thomas has a history with Los Angeles DC Gus Bradley. He has a background with San Francisco DC Robert Saleh as well. The Bengals hosted Eric Reid on a visit that went poorly, but they were only in the market for a backup safety at that time. Tampa Bay spent plenty to add to its defensive front this offseason and added three DBs in the draft’s middle rounds. The Bucs boast Chris Conte and second-year man Justin Evans as their top safeties.

Here’s the latest out of Seattle:

  • A Chargers trade for Thomas wouldn’t add up with the franchise’s usual M.O., Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune notes. Tom Telesco and football ops president John Spanos aren’t big on parting with draft capital, with Krasovic adding that extensions for Philip Rivers and Melvin Gordon — along with Los Angeles’ approximate $9MM cap-space total — would also impede a move like this.
  • Should the Seahawks deal Thomas, Delano Hill would be the favorite to succeed him alongside Bradley McDougald, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times notes. McDougald would move to free safety, with Hill — a 2017 third-rounder — making his starting-lineup debut as Seattle’s strong safety. Hill ran with the starters in Thomas’ stead during minicamp.
  • The right side of Seattle’s offensive line figures to be manned by tackle Germain Ifedi and guard D.J. Fluker, per Condotta, who adds Fluker could be an option at tackle if Ifedi struggles. Fluker, though, has not played much tackle since the Chargers shuttled him to guard prior to the 2015 season. However, former left tackle starter George Fant will be thrust into the right tackle competition in training camp, Condotta writes. Fant is expected to be healthy after suffering a torn ACL last summer and would profile as the Seahawks’ swing tackle if Ifedi keeps the top right-edge job.
  • Amara Darboh (eight receptions, 71 yards in 2017) received essentially a redshirt year as a rookie, but Condotta notes the Seahawks are “counting on” the third-round pick to see a significant playing-time uptick this season. Seattle has Tyler Lockett and recently added UFAs Jaron Brown and Brandon Marshall. However, the latter is coming off a poor season and spent time recovering from multiple injuries this offseason. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Darboh’s role could hinge on how Marshall fares in camp. Seattle did not guarantee Marshall much, so it’s not certain the 34-year-old target makes the roster.

Earl Thomas Wants Extension Or Trade

July 16th, 2018 at 6:27pm CST by Sam Robinson

A minicamp holdout and a player the Seahawks shopped in trades earlier this year, Earl Thomas has no interest in going into this season on his current contract.

The three-time All-Pro safety said Monday (via Instagram) he wants an extension or will call upon the Seahawks to trade him — presumably to a team that will authorize such a contract.

The Cowboys have served as the top Thomas suitor thus far, with the teams talking extensively during draft weekend. Dallas balked at trading a second-rounder for Thomas but doesn’t have a solidified safety situation, and reports have circulated this Thomas trade avenue may not be closed.

Thomas has one season and $10.4MM remaining on his contract, a deal no safety matched when it was signed in 2014. However, several do now. But Thomas has proven more than most of the players who’ve since surpassed him, and the Seahawks’ defense having lost so many key cogs now gives off a rebuilding vibe. The 29-year-old safety’s timeline may not add up with what the Seahawks are doing.

Seattle traded Michael Bennett, released Richard Sherman and Cliff Avril. Kam Chancellor will remain on the payroll, but Thomas’ longtime running mate indicated earlier this month his playing days are over due to injury.

NFC Notes: Peterson, Eagles, Thomas, Lions

July 4th, 2018 at 3:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

Long regarded as one of this era’s best cornerbacks, Patrick Peterson has not been challenged to the degree of some of his peers in recent years. The Cardinals‘ top defender has just six interceptions over the past three seasons, and this has likely had some impact on his All-Pro status. Despite being viewed as a top-tier corner and having never missed a game, Peterson has made just one of the past three All-Pro first teams. The soon-to-be 28-year-old defender, though, sounds encouraged to be in the defensive system Steve Wilks and Al Holcomb have installed.

“Very excited, ’cause I’m gonna be doing a lot of new things that I haven’t done in my career – in my NFL career,” Peterson said, via Katherine Fitzgerald of the Arizona Republic. “I’m just looking forward to getting back to my play-making ways because I believe over the last two and a half, three years, I’ve been kind of handcuffed in doing that, because obviously teams try to stay away from me. But now, coach Holcomb and coach Wilks are going do a great job of finding ways to install me into the game.”

Peterson still expects to follow receivers in the new scheme, but the Cardinals continue to feature a sizable talent gap between their No. 1 corner and his sidekicks. They traded for Jamar Taylor, who is now the favorite to start opposite Peterson, and employ third-year man Brandon Williams and former Panthers cog Bene Benwikere. But this cast might not be enough to deter quarterbacks from continuing to largely avoid Peterson.

Here’s the latest from the NFC:

  • Apparently, Earl Thomas‘ Cowboys fandom did not stop once he joined the Seahawks. The east Texas native has been connected to the Cowboys via trade throughout the offseason, and he seemed to light that fuse after the Seahawks’ Week 16 win in Dallas last season. Cliff Avril observed Thomas discuss watching Cowboys games as a fan while with the Seahawks, but it’s not like the since-released defensive end saw that affect the three-time All-Pro’s game. “Everyone in (the Seahawks’) locker room knows Earl loves the Cowboys,” Avril said during a Sirius XM Radio interview (Twitter link). “He’d leave immediately after work just to catch them play Monday Night Football. We didn’t take it too serious. Whatever team he dresses up for he’s gonna do his thing.” Thomas and the Seahawks remain at an impasse as the last remaining Legion of Boom bastion continues his holdout.
  • The Eagles will almost certainly waive seventh-round pick/rugby convert Jordan Mailata, Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com notes, before attempting to develop him on their practice squad. This figures to be a lengthy process attempting to convert the mammoth prospect into someone worthy of seeing time on Sundays.
  • Two of Mailata’s rookie peers have less certainty. Although Josh Sweat has looked the part of a future contributor, Shorr-Parks wonders if the Eagles’ depth at defensive end will induce a wink-wink IR stay that will allow the fourth-round pick to develop while off the 53-man roster. UDFA running back Josh Adams received one of the largest signing bonuses of any undrafted player this year at $25K, but he missed all of OTAs and minicamp with a foot injury and looks like a long shot to make the roster. Shorr-Parks expects an IR stay for Adams.
  • The additions of LeGarrette Blount and Kerryon Johnson will force either Zach Zenner or Dwayne Washington off the Lions‘ roster, barring an injury to a higher-regarded back, but Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com expects neither to be on the team come Week 1. Rothstein, though, views Ameer Abdullah as possible trade bait that would give either Zenner or Washington a way back onto the roster.

Latest On Earl Thomas, Seahawks

July 2nd, 2018 at 9:05pm CST by Ben Levine

Kam Chancellor announced yesterday that he’d be hanging up his cleats, but his unofficial retirement likely won’t influence the Seahawks’ talks with Earl Thomas. Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times writes that the loss of Chancellor won’t impact the team’s handling of their disgruntled free safety.

The Thomas saga has been ongoing for the past three months. The six-time Pro Bowler is set to enter the final season of a four-year, $40MM deal, and there were reports that the team was shopping him earlier this offseason. Thomas subsequently sat out the team’s mandatory minicamp in pursuit of a new contract (although he’s expected to be back for training camp). When he first announced his hold out, the 29-year-old said he wasn’t going to attend “any team activities until my contract situation is resolved.”

The 29-year-old is seeking money that’d approach Eric Berry‘s deal ($13MM average annual salary), but Condotta notes that the organization has reason to be wary of this kind of contract. For starters, the team just saw Chancellor retire before playing a single year of his new extension (thus negatively impacting the team’s cap situation). The team also shipped off Michael Bennett before he played a year on his new deal. Condotta believes the team isn’t looking to put themselves in a similar predicament.

The 2010 first-round pick has spent his entire career with the Seahawks, earning three All-Pro first-team nods during his tenure. After being limited to 11 games in 2016, Thomas bounced back in 2017. In 14 games, the safety finished with 56 tackles, six passes defended, and a pair of interceptions. If the defensive back’s hold out was to last through the start of the regular season, the team could turn to Mo Alexander, Delano Hill, Akeem King, and Tedric Thompson to start alongside Bradley McDougald.

Examining Key 2018 Holdouts

June 15th, 2018 at 7:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 2014 first round produced some of the NFL’s best players, and they comprise part of an extensive group of that skipped minicamp and could well be training camp holdouts. But several other standout players didn’t show for their respective teams’ mandatory workouts either. Here’s a look on where things stand with this absent contingent.

Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams: The reigning defensive player of the year is holding out for a second straight summer. He skipped the Rams’ minicamp, as expected, and remains focused on a landscape-changing deal. Both Donald and Khalil Mack are in line to eclipse Von Miller‘s $19MM annual salary, but the California-based franchises may be hesitant to be the first to authorize a $20MM-per-year pact for a defender. However, Les Snead‘s already conceded the Rams will have to finalize a Donald deal that makes him the league’s highest-paid defender. But with the Broncos superstar having signed his extension in a $155MM cap year, it’s likely Donald’s camp — particularly on the heels of a season where the all-world interior defender won DPOY honors after his holdout induced a two-game absence — is targeting a figure well north of Miller’s, with the cap now at $177.2MM.

The Rams see this process unfolding in a less contentious fashion this year, but a Donald deal — one that’s putting other priorities on hold — isn’t imminent.

David Johnson, Arizona Cardinals: Unlike Le’Veon Bell and the Steelers, this process features no immediate deadline. But Johnson’s contract expires after this season, with no fifth-year option available to the franchise. Johnson and the Cards are engaging in extension discussions, and Steve Keim said this week — as his All-Pro back skipped minicamp — the team looks forward to signing Johnson long-term.

This has not proven to be an acrimonious situation, but Johnson is on a slightly different timetable than Bell. Despite being a fourth-year player compared to Pittsburgh’s All-Pro entering his sixth season, Johnson is a few months older than Bell and will turn 27 in December. However, it may be in his best interests to wait and see what happens with Bell by the July 16 franchise tag extension deadline.

Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons: The NFL’s seen its wide receiver salary landscape shift since Jones signed his extension in August 2015. That contract made Jones the NFL’s highest-paid wideout, but seven receivers have since surpassed him. This includes Sammy Watkins and slot target Jarvis Landry, who respectively signed 2018 deals for $16MM and $15.1MM annually. Atlanta’s top weapon wants a revised contract and skipped OTAs and minicamp, and the Falcons are discussing such an amendment.

Jones has three seasons and minimal guarantees remaining on his deal, which averages $14.25MM per year. The team’s response a Jones camp proposal did not meet with the group’s approval, but the sides continue to negotiate. The 29-year-old pass-catcher said recently he has no intentions of forcing his way out of Atlanta.

Taylor Lewan, Tennessee Titans: The left tackle is part of the 2014 first-round contingent entering fifth-year option seasons, and he joined some of the group’s higher-profile players in skipping mandatory June workouts. Jon Robinson said upon being informed of Lewan’s impending minicamp absence that the parties are participating in ongoing re-up dialogue, but as recently as late May, no reports indicated this was the case.

A two-time Pro Bowler, Lewan is entering his age-27 season and is now shooting for Nate Solder‘s $15.5MM-AAV standard. That’s $2MM-plus more than any other left tackle makes, and the Giants authorized that contract amid free agency circumstances. This will complicate matters for Lewan and other extension-seeking tackles. Lewan’s option season is set to be worth $9.341MM.

Khalil Mack, Oakland Raiders: After not joining Donald in a 2017 holdout, despite being in essentially the same situation, Mack is doing so this year. He has not reported to the Raiders this offseason. The 2016 defensive player of the year saw 2014 draftee teammates Derek Carr and Gabe Jackson sign lucrative extensions, only to see the Raiders put his on hold — mirroring other teams’ processes with ’14 first-rounders — because of the franchise-friendly fifth-year option. Reggie McKenzie‘s maintained the franchise intends to extend Mack in 2018 and said other players’ situations aren’t factoring into these discussions. Though, it’d be hard to believe Donald’s process isn’t impacting Mack’s at all.

The Raiders and Mack weren’t close on terms in April, but both Carr and Jackson signed their extensions in June of last year, perhaps pointing to a near-future resolution. Unlike the Rams, however, the Raiders have a top-tier quarterback salary on their books. That could cause issues elsewhere on the roster. Although, the cap’s perpetual rise negates some of those potential problems.

Earl Thomas, Seattle Seahawks: Perhaps the most interesting of these situations, the Seahawks have dangled Thomas in trades but expect him to report for training camp. Like Jones, Thomas saw several at his position usurp him in the salary hierarchy since signing an extension. Thomas signed a $10MM-AAV contract to make him the highest-paid safety in 2014. Again in a contract year, he’s threatened a holdout for months and is following through. The Cowboys and Seahawks discussed a draft-weekend deal for the three-time All-Pro. While Dallas balked about sending a second-round pick for the 29-year-old defender, the teams may well revisit these talks.

Either way, Thomas is going to want Eric Berry money ($13MM AAV) on his third contract. With Richard Sherman in San Francisco and Kam Chancellor‘s career in doubt, Thomas is the last remaining member of the Legion of Boom. It’s just uncertain if he’ll finish out his second contract in Seattle or be shipped elsewhere and end that dominant era.

Cowboys “Holding Out Hope” Of Acquiring Earl Thomas?

June 12th, 2018 at 5:25pm CST by Dallas Robinson

While there has been no recent movement in talks regarding a trade that would send Seahawks safety Earl Thomas to the Cowboys, Dallas has “quietly held out hope” that it may acquire the All-Pro defensive back, according to Clarence Hill of the Star-Telegram.

The Cowboys have made no secret in their interest in Thomas, and the club reportedly had talks with the Seahawks near the draft. However, Dallas balked at sending a second-round pick (which would have been the 50th overall selection) to Seattle in exchange for Thomas. Since that time, Seahawks general manager John Schneider acknowledged that while his team did have discussions involving Thomas, no deal was “remotely close to happening.”

However, Thomas has since continued his holdout: he did not report to mandatory minicamp earlier this week, and indicated he’ll continue to stay away from the Seahawks until his contract is “resolved.” Thomas’ absence isn’t major news in and of itself, but Seattle reportedly hadn’t had any conversations about Thomas’ deal — which expires after the 2018 season — as of late May. As such, there may not be a clear resolution in sight.

Thomas is scheduled to earn a base salary of $8.5MM in 2018, so the Cowboys — who have roughly $11.5MM in cap space — would be able to fit him on their books. Given that Thomas’ is clearly unhappy with his current contract, Dallas would likely need to extend the 29-year-old. Seattle, meanwhile, would incur a dead money charge of $1.9MM as a result of a Thomas trade.

Arguably the most consistent safety in the NFL since 2010, Thomas graded as the league’s No. 9 safety in 2018, per Pro Football Focus. In Dallas, Thomas would not only give the Cowboys over either Jeff Heath or Xavier Woods, but reunite with former Seahawks defensive coordinator Kris Richard, who is now Dallas’ defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator.

No Movement On Earl Thomas To Cowboys

June 11th, 2018 at 11:35am CST by Zachary Links

Safety Earl Thomas announced that he will not be attending the Seahawks’ mandatory minicamp as he pressures the team for a new contract. Right now, it doesn’t sound like that situation will result in a trade to the Cowboys. There hasn’t been much discussion on a trade to send Thomas to Dallas since the draft, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets. 

There were rumblings this offseason that the Seahawks could move Thomas, but coach Pete Carroll shot that down in April when he indicated the team was planning on keeping Thomas. GM John Schneider admitted that a trade was considered at one point, but also said that “nothing was remotely close to happening” in the spring.

Meanwhile, in May, it was said that there was no movement on a new deal for Thomas. At this point, something has to give. Thomas will either have to play out his final year at a salary of $8.5MM, or the Seahawks will have to give him an extension to put him at or near the top of his position group. Making him the highest-paid safety in the league would mean leapfrogging Eric Berry‘s mammoth six-year, $78MM deal.

When Thomas signed his four-year, $40MM extension with the Seahawks in 2014, he was the highest-paid safety in the NFL. Since then, he has been topped by five others: Berry, teammate Kam Chancellor, Reshad Jones (Dolphins), Lamarcus Joyner (Rams), and Harrison Smith (Vikings).

NFC Notes: Vikings, Cardinals, Thomas

June 10th, 2018 at 9:08pm CST by Ben Levine

The Vikings roster is quickly getting expensive. As Chris Tomasson of TwinCities.com points out, six players have salary-cap numbers that exceed $10MM for next season: quarterback Kirk Cousins, cornerback Xavier Rhodes, linebacker Anthony Barr, defensive end Everson Griffen, offensive tackle Riley Reiff, and safety Harrison Smith. The team is also paying more than $8MM to defensive tackle defensive tackles Linval Joseph and Sheldon Richardson, and they still have to extend wideout Stefon Diggs and defensive end Danielle Hunter.

With money quickly running thin (the Vikings currently have $17MM in cap space, and Tomasson believes part of that will be used for extensions), general manager Rick Spielman acknowledged that it’s difficult managing the team’s budget.

“The hardest thing right now is the economic structure on our team where we have all these high-priced guys now because they all deserve to get paid the way they’ve been playing,’’ Spielman said. “But economically, we’re not going to go out there, you can’t play fantasy football and have $3 (million), $4 (million) or $5 million backup guys. Those are going to be the young guys that we’ve drafted or we’ve developed.’’

Of course, as he should, Spielman has an optimistic view of the cap crunch.

“It’s a good problem to have, but we have a very high-priced roster right now,’’ Spielman said. “And eventually some of those guys are going to get aged out, just like we had some of our other Pro Bowlers … and you have to replace them.”

Let’s take a look at some more notes from around the NFC…

Earl Thomas Will Continue Holdout, Not Report To Mandatory Minicamp

June 10th, 2018 at 10:00am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Earl Thomas has been absent from the voluntary portions of the Seahawks’ offseason program, something not too uncommon for a player of his caliber. Most reporters covering the team have expected Thomas to show up when mandatory minicamp arrived with the potential for fines if Thomas continued to stay away.

But now Thomas has made it clear he will not be reporting until his contract demands are satisfied, announcing the news himself (Twitter link). In the post, Thomas says he will “not be attending the upcoming mini camp or any team activities until my contract situation is resolved.” The team can fine Thomas up to $84,435 if he misses all three days of the minicamp.

There were rumblings this offseason that the Seahawks may look to trade Thomas, with Thomas’ hometown Cowboys a popular rumored destination, but coach Pete Carroll appeared to put that talk to rest in April when he indicated the team was planning on having Thomas for the 2018 season. General manager John Schneider admitted at the time that the team considered trading Thomas, but said that “nothing was remotely close to happening.”

Today’s post by Thomas is sure to revive those trade rumors. Thomas is a Texas-native and it’s long been rumored that he’d like to play in Dallas. Thomas has played for the Seahawks since being taken by them in the first round back in 2010. He’s a five-time All-Pro and one of the best safeties in the league, but the team appears to have some concerns about his age and his health.

Reacting to the news from Thomas, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times says that the issue isn’t whether the Seahawks have the salary cap space to give Thomas what he wants, but rather “it’s whether they want to give him that kind of a long-term contract at age 30 and beyond. That’s the issue.” (Twitter link). Thomas will turn 30 in May of next year.

Thomas did say in his statement that he wants to “remain a Seahawk” for the rest of his career, but that he feels he’s “earned the right to have this taken care of as soon as possible.” Thomas is currently set to be a free agent at the end of this season. Whatever happens next, it’ll be a situation worth monitoring this summer.

No Talks Yet For Seahawks, Earl Thomas

May 21st, 2018 at 1:44pm CST by Zachary Links

The Seahawks’ OTAs are underway, but safety Earl Thomas is not among those in attendance, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Thomas has been pushing for a new deal, but there have been no talks yet and there are none on the horizon either, Pelissero hears. 

Thomas is under contract with Seattle for one more season at a salary of $8.5MM. Although participation in OTAs is voluntary, Thomas’ decision to stay home is probably a sign of his dissatisfaction with the lack of discussion regarding his contract.

“I think Earl Thomas deserves the money he’s asking for,” former Seahawks teammate Richard Sherman said recently. “I think he deserves to be compensated as the top safety in the league. Whether Seattle does that or not is up to them.”

Making Thomas the highest-paid safety in the NFL would mean giving him upwards of $13MM per year, topping Eric Berry‘s mammoth six-year, $78MM deal. At the time of signing in 2014, the Seahawks’ four-year, $40MM extension with Thomas put him ahead of all other NFL safeties, but he has since been leapfrogged by five others: Berry, teammate Kam Chancellor, Reshad Jones (Dolphins), Lamarcus Joyner (Rams), and Harrison Smith (Vikings).

Will the Seahawks put him atop the heap once again? It’s hard to see that happening after months of mulling trade possibilities, including a swap with the Cowboys. Dallas balked at giving up a second-round pick for Thomas, however, so he remains in the team’s plans – for now.

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