Earl Thomas is scheduled to become a free agent after the season, which means there’s a chance he has played his last snap for the Seattle Seahawks after he suffered a fractured leg in Week 4. According to one report, that is more of a certainty than a chance.
The Seahawks could prevent Thomas from becoming a free agent by using the franchise tag on him, but sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that the team has no plans to do that. The franchise tag number for safeties is expected to approach $12 million in 2019, and it makes sense that Seattle does not want to pay that for a player who would almost certainly hold out and create distractions again.
Unfortunately, the end of Thomas’ outstanding career with the Seahawks will be remembered for the middle finger he flipped his own sideline while being carted off the field. Schefter also reported that Thomas was not flipping the bird at Pete Carroll or anyone in particular, but rather the organization as a whole.
Thomas had been seeking a long-term deal and was sitting out practices to limit his injury risk. While he will miss the remainder of the 2018 season, he has apparently received some good news about his recovery timeline.
