Seattle Seahawks: 3 Big takeaways from win vs. Cardinals in Week 4
By Samuel Teets
Earl Thomas was right all along
The All-Pro safety exited the game on Sunday with what we now know was a fracture in his left leg. Thomas held out until just before the start of the season because he was unhappy with his contract situation. His current deal ends after this season and he wanted to secure a long-term salary for himself but the Seahawks were unwilling to give him a new deal. That led to all the drama with trade rumors and the hold out.
Thomas did report to the team though, and he balled out. In the first three weeks of the season he had three interceptions and showed why he’s a future Hall of Fame player. Even though the drama seemed to cloud his legacy before the year began he quickly made Seahawks forget all the off the field displeasure. He’s that good, but people just took his talents for granted.
It came out before the game this week that Seattle was shopping Thomas yet again. This time the team was asking for two second-round draft picks. But now there will be no trade. Thomas will be placed on the injured reserve list. He won’t finish out the season and he’s likely played his final snap in a Seahawks uniform.
While he was being carted off the field he flipped the middle finger in the direction of the Seahawks sideline. The gesture could’ve been directed at anyone on the field, including the Cardinals players, but writers and fans will certainly believe it was meant for the Seahawks bench. We may never know who Thomas was aiming the obscene move at.
His injury is heartbreaking. 2018 was turning out to be one of Thomas’ best seasons and looked like it was going to serve as a farewell tour for the Seahawks legend. But it’s over now, just a quarter of the way through the season.
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Worst of all, Thomas will suffer financially for his loyalty. He did show up to play, he did bring it when he stepped on the field, and he did make major contributions to his team. Now he’s done for the season and will get shorted as a free agent in the offseason. He’ll be pegged as an injury-prone, aging safety and will be underpaid and undervalued. That’s just not right.
Seattle owed him more than it gave and now things are ending in the worst way possible. Young players like Le’Veon Bell will take a lot out of Thomas’ experiences.