Earl Thomas has not reported to training camp with the Seattle Seahawks as he seeks either a new contract or a trade, and the team reportedly has no intention of caving to his demands.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, Thomas and his representatives were told prior to offseason workouts that the All-Pro safety’s contract will not be addressed whether he shows up to training camp or not.
Important note, as #Seahawks S Earl Thomas continues his holdout: Thomas & his reps were informed prior to offseason activities that the team was not going to address his contract, I’m told. It was specific and clear. Whether or not Thomas came in to camp has zero impact on it.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 27, 2018
Thomas is in the final season of a five-year deal and set to make $8.5 million this year before becoming a free agent. Given that he is 29 and has dealt with some injuries recently, he probably feels pressure to secure as much money as possible as he gets closer to the end of his career. The Seahawks have begun moving on from their “Legion of Boom” defense, so it makes sense that they don’t want to pay an older defensive back top dollar.
If Seattle doesn’t give Thomas a raise or trade him, there have been reports that he could go to great lengths to express his displeasure.
