It’s hard to say if loyalty actually exists in the NFL anymore and this may be currently the situation with Earl Thomas and the Seattle Seahawks. It looks as if the last founding member of the Seahawks Legion of Boom is ready to move on from the team that drafted him. Thomas is making waves in the media again after posting a photo of himself on social media with the caption, “Always been the underdog ain’t nothing new. Extend ….. if you don’t want me let’s make a trade happen I understand it’s a bizz.”
Earl Thomas’ Loyalty No Longer Remains With the Seattle Seahawks
Thomas has made a continuous impact since being drafted 14th overall in the 2010 NFL draft. He’s a six-time Pro Bowler who helped the Seahawks reach the Super Bowl two years in a row, winning it once. You would think that a player like him who is almost in his 30s would stay loyal to the team that he’s played eight seasons for.
Analyzing Earl Thomas’ Case
It’s no news that Thomas has been looking for a contract extension for some time now. He even made the issue public after the Seahawks week 16 game in 2017 versus the Dallas Cowboys when he followed Dallas head coach Jason Garrett into the locker room. Thomas proceeded to tell Garrett “come get me,” although he later clarified his comments saying that he meant “come get me” if he wasn’t given a contract extension in Seattle.
Thomas is entering the final year of his four-year, $40 million contract that includes $9,500,000 in signing bonus and $25,750,000 in guaranteed money. This deal ranks him sixth in contracts among safeties in the NFL and it’s clear that he see’s himself worth more value. The question is, do the Seahawks see him worth more value?
Analyzing the Seahawks Case
Yes, Thomas is worth considerably more than what is written on his contract but right now the concern should be placed on his loyalty to the team. How do you go about extending a player that’s simply in the “pay me or trade me” mentality? Is he really going to help your team win games?
Thomas is entering his eighth year in the league and he will be turning 30 shortly after the end of the 2018 season. Although he seems to not be slowing down anytime soon, age is becoming something more of a factor in the NFL today.
The Seahawks defense, especially the secondary, are finding themselves becoming younger and younger every year. Their defense lost a bunch of players in 2017 including All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Richard Sherman. Aside from this, the Seahawks do have significantly talented players to replace Sherman and potentially Thomas if they decide to let him go, such as Bradley McDougald, Tedric Thompson, and Delano Hill.
Conclusion
Thomas is right by stating it’s a business, but it seems that more players are becoming less loyal to their team and getting more and more greedy. Loyalty has clearly become an issue between the potential Hall of Fame safety and the Seahawks and the team just may have to cut ties with their all-pro safety.
