NFL veteran defensive lineman Solomon Thomas signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the Las Vegas Raiders. Thomas spent the first four seasons of his pro career with the San Francisco 49ers.
The #Raiders are signing DL Solomon Thomas to a one-year deal worth up to $5 million, per source. A new home for Thomas, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2017 draft who’s still only 25.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 17, 2021
Solomon Thomas, Las Vegas Raiders, Agree to Contract
In the final year of his rookie deal, Solomon Thomas was one of the many unfortunately hit with the injury bug. The four-year pro suffered a torn ACL during the team’s Week 2 game against the New York Jets. It happened to come just a short while after star defensive end Nick Bosa went down with the same injury. Just like that, year four became a “what if” for Thomas, as he very well would have been one of the first to step up in Bosa’s absence. Who knows, maybe he could have shed his bust label this past season. Instead, he hit the market coming off of a serious knee injury.
Thomas was bound to find a home, despite his struggles so far in the pros. Over four seasons, Thomas has played in 48 games, with 30 starts, yet only six sacks and 23 quarterback hits. He has also only forced one fumble and has 16 tackles for a loss on 95 total tackles. These numbers obviously come as a major disappointment, when considering he is a former third overall pick.
Taken after only Myles Garrett and Mitch Trubisky in 2017, the uber-athletic Thomas was supposed to join a young defensive line with DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead. At 6-2 and 280lbs, he earned praise through his physical ability over his inconsistent play at Stanford. Except, his talent only continued to be displayed in flashes, as he never became a consistent force. He is only going to be 26-years-old in 2021, and still flashes the skills that once made him such a high pick. Barring a drastic change of events, Thomas is not going to develop into a superstar. Nevertheless, assuming Thomas makes a full recovery, makes for a versatile depth piece along 4-3 defensive fronts.
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