NFL Rumors: Seahawks have multiple offers for Earl Thomas
Trade talks around safety Earl Thomas have ramped up during the draft, with multiple offers coming the Seahawks’ way.
As the once-vaunted Seattle Seahawks’ defense, and secondarily the “Legion of Boom”, has been dismantled, safety Earl Thomas is one of the last men standing. Entering the final year of his contract and of course with desire for an extension, trade rumors surfaced around the six-time Pro Bowler.
Thomas will apparently not extend a holdout into training camp, and thus trade rumors surrounding him have cooled a little bit. But the start of the draft has ramped things up, with draft picks as more urgent trade capital and teams perhaps facing an unfulfilled need at safety by the end of the weekend.
Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, Michael Silver of NFL Network and Dan Graziano of ESPN have all reported something regarding Thomas and a possible trade. Graziano specifically indicated talks between the Cowboys and Seahawks have “centered around” the 50th overall pick in the draft, which may not be enough for Seattle and Dallas surely wants to get Thomas to agree to a contract extension before parting with more than that.
The Cowboys’ interest in Thomas is not new, but there may be at least one other team in the mix.
Even with all the trade backs today, I don't think Seahawks are done. Moving Earl Thomas for day two picks a very real possibility
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) April 27, 2018
The Seahawks have listened to trade offers for star S Earl Thomas from at least 2 teams, and a deal could still go down today or tonight. However, Seattle has enough cap room to make it work in 2018 and is preparing to have him on the roster this season. Final year of his deal.
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) April 27, 2018
Outside of the Cowboys, the Atlanta Falcons are easy to tie to some level of interest in Thomas. Former Seahawks’ defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has brought that defensive system to Atlanta as head coach, and he has his Kam Chancellor in Keanu Neal. But Thomas would be a significant upgrade over Ricardo Allen at free safety.
The Minnesota Vikings, in a possible quest to finally find an upgrade over Andrew Sendejo alongside Harrison Smith, could also be among the “at least two” teams Silver cited as making an offer for Thomas. Other than that the Green Bay Packers are worth mentioning as a team with a need at safety, and a new general manager who has brought a different philosophy.
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The Seahawks won’t trade Thomas just to trade him, or to eliminate the risk of losing him for nothing next offseason. But in the hours before Day 2 of the draft starts, there seems to be a few teams ready to part with assets in order to get him.