Earl Thomas has made it very clear that he does not want to play for the Seattle Seahawks in 2018 without a new contract, and the All-Pro safety wants fans to know exactly why he is holding out of training camp.
In a piece he wrote for The Players’ Tribune that was published Thursday, Thomas delivered a very clear message to the Seahawks.
“Offer me an extension.
“Or trade me to a team that wants me to be part of their future.”
Thomas said he very much wishes he was at training camp with his teammates, but he tried to explain the rationale behind his demands.
“If you’re risking your body to deliver all of this value to an organization, then you deserve some sort of assurance that the organization will take care of you if you get hurt. It’s that simple,” he wrote. “This isn’t new, and this isn’t complicated. It’s the reason I’m holding out — I want to be able to give my everything, on every play, without any doubt in my mind.”
Thomas also spent some time reminiscing about his career in Seattle, assuring fans the approach he is taking says nothing about his desire to remain with the team.
“And that’s one of the things about this that’s been very frustrating — this idea that I’m doing what I’m doing because I don’t want to play for Seattle anymore. That’s just not true, man,” Thomas said. “I love Seattle. But I’d hoped I wouldn’t even have to say that. I’d hoped that the way I’ve played for this team over the last eight years would tell you all you need to know.”
The entire piece is worth reading, as most of the time players don’t go into such detail about why they’re holding out. Given the reports we have heard about the Seahawks’ stance on the situation, a trade could still be on the horizon.
