Seattle Seahawks: Working on Earl Thomas extension is worthwhile
By Samuel Teets
Just when it seemed like Earl Thomas’ departure was inevitable, the Seattle Seahawks have begun to work on extending the superstar safety.
It has become well known around the football world that the Dallas Cowboys are interested in acquiring Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas. With tensions rising in Seattle last season, Thomas was caught on camera saying “come get me” to Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett after a 21-12 win in December.
The Cowboys apparently turned down an offer from the Seahawks that would have sent Thomas to Dallas in exchange for the Cowboys’ second-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Thomas’ contract ends after the 2018 season and he will become an unrestricted free agent. Teams like the Cowboys may have assumed that they could sign Thomas then and avoid having to trade for the All-Pro safety. But that might not be the case anymore, because the Seahawks are working toward an extension for Thomas.
Thomas, who is days away from turning 29, may be the last member of the legendary Legion of Boom left standing in Seattle. Cornerback Richard Sherman was released and signed with the rival San Francisco 49ers, and safety Kam Chancellor might not be able to return to football after suffering a neck injury last season.
It is in the Seahawks best interest to retain Thomas, who will likely find himself walking into Canton one day. The big changes that came to the Seahawks defense this offseason left Bobby Wagner and Thomas as the only remaining healthy Pro Bowlers on that side of the ball.
There is also very little depth in the secondary, which means Thomas will have to serve as the glue that will link together the lesser pieces of the defense. If he left, the secondary would crumble in his absence.
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Even if the Seahawks are rebuilding their defense, tearing the whole thing down seems like an extreme overreaction to the end of the Legion of Boom. Thomas will still be in his prime for a few more years and is a great building block for the rest of the secondary. It is harder to build something out of nothing, than to already have at least one piece in place.