Earl Thomas rumors: 5 best fits in NFL free agency

4. Kansas City Chiefs

As mentioned, Chiefs were reported to be “inching toward” a trade for Thomas before he broke his leg. They should be in the market for secondary help this offseason, and if Eric Berry can get back somewhere close to full strength Kansas City would have an enviable safety duo.

As a team that reached the AFC title game last year, and appears to be on brink of reaching the Super Bowl with Patrick Mahomes under center, the Chiefs should appeal to Thomas on some level. But would that translate to taking a relative discount, or a shorter deal than he might get otherwise? Based on his holdout in Seattle, anything less than the most he can get over the longest contract he can procure feels unlikely for Thomas.

The Chiefs have some tough decisions coming down the road, as they’ll eventually have to pony up big for Mahomes’ second contract. But with a reasonable amount of cap space right now ($25.5 million, via Spotrac), and the possibility to add a fair amount more by releasing Justin Houston, a legit run at Thomas can’t be ruled out.