Seattle Seahawks: Earl Thomas wants to retire a Seahawk

Earl Thomas had a very public breakup with the Seattle Seahawks organization, but he hasn’t ruled out retiring with the team.

On April 10, in an interview on the Rich Eisen Show, Baltimore Ravens safety Earl Thomas said, “I envision myself retiring as a Seahawk”. For those of you out of the loop, Thomas was selected by the Seattle Seahawks with the 14th overall pick in the 2010 draft. Thomas went on to become the league’s best safety since the Ed Reed/Troy Polamalu era.

During the 2017 season and the 2018 offseason, though, a separation grew between Thomas and the team. He held out prior to the 2018 offseason, wishing for a long-term extension that would guarantee his financial future and recognize him as the game’s best safety. When an extension was not reached, Thomas still showed up to play, but fractured his leg early in the season.

He signed a four-year, $55 million deal with the Ravens this offseason.

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Some people might argue that Thomas burned a bridge in Seattle when he flipped off the Seahawks sideline as he was being carted away with a fractured leg in Week 4 last season. That was pure frustration and he deserves a total pass. Look, Thomas was just trying to get paid and no one can blame him for that. He held out leading up to the 2018 season, but then showed up anyway because he was a team player and did not want to disappoint the fans or his teammates.

After all of that, he fractured his leg and, at the time, he must have been kicking himself knowing that he’d just lost potentially millions of dollars in future earnings. So yeah, he flipped off the sideline in frustration, angry at the power players in the organization who denied him a long-term, lucrative deal.

It happens. We all get frustrated, and that one gesture should not be seen as the end of Thomas’ relationship with Seattle or the fans. He still has ties to the city and team that he helped become champions, even if he now plays all the way across the country.

Going back to the interview, Thomas did not say he wanted to return to play for the Seahawks. He mentioned signing a one-day contract, something older players often do with the organizations that drafted them.

Basically, a retiring player signs a one-day deal with the team he wants to go out with, and then he can say he officially retired with that team. It’s a classy move for teams to offer players and shows a level of human connection in a sport where business moves are more dominant than ever.

Thomas also brought up his hope that the Seahawks will retire his jersey as well. He’ll certainly have a strong case for when it comes time for Seattle to decide whether to make the move or not.

In nine seasons with the organization, Thomas went to two Super Bowls, won one, recorded 28 interceptions, went to six Pro Bowls, made three First All-Pro teams, and made two Second All-Pro teams. Considering all of these accolades and stats, plus Thomas’ place on the Legion of Boom, the best secondary from the current era, I think Thomas will see his jersey hanging in the rafters of CenturyLink Field, right next to Kam Chancellor‘s and Richard Sherman‘s.

If Thomas does indeed decide he wants to retire with the Seahawks, the organization should offer him a one-day contract. Of course, that will be years away, and time heals all wounds. A little space will be good for both Thomas and the Seahawks, plus he was one of the greatest players in team history. He should absolutely be allowed to retire with the team that drafted him, despite the ugly breakup they had.