Earl Thomas trade rumors: Seahawks asking for a king’s ransom

Seattle is in the midst of reshaping their team and safety Earl Thomas could be the next member to leave Seattle.

The Seattle Seahawks have already traded or released some of the more iconic members of their vaunted defense this off-season. Cornerback Richard Sherman was released and defensive lineman Michael Bennett was traded to Philadelphia.

Now, the former “Legion of Boom” could lose another member as it’s being reported safety Earl Thomas is on the trade block. The asking price comes from Jason LaCanfora who says the Seahawks are asking for a first and third round pick for the All-Pro to get the conversation started.

The ask might seem pretty high but the Seahawks should be asking for a lot. He’ll be 29-years old in just under two months and has missed time in consecutive seasons. However, before that, he played in every game for six straight years. That’s an impressive feat for any football player.

Thomas has 25 career interceptions to go along with 11 forced fumbles. He’s also a sound tackler with 463 over the course of his career. There is injury risk at this point. There was also an incident last year when Thomas took some heat for potentially lobbying to go to Dallas in the middle of a postseason push. The safety is on the last year of his contract and has said in the past he wants a new deal.

The Price is too high at a first and a third rounder, but Thomas is simply too talented to not attract quite a few teams. Perhaps Dallas does come calling. A team like the Pittsburgh Steelers could potentially take a gamble on Thomas if they could make the money work (which would be no easy feat). They should be trying to win a Super Bowl before quarterback Ben Roethlisberger retires and have had a dire need at the position since Troy Polamalu retired.

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The biggest hangup in any potential trade is likely how comfortable the acquiring team would be giving Thomas the extension he desires. Look for Seattle to deal him without getting the full asking price. Some team is going to get a very good safety for the 2018 season.