Chiefs dodged a bullet with Earl Thomas
The Chiefs almost signed Earl Thomas, but thankfully Baltimore snatched him up instead
Following the 2018 season where they fell just short of making the Super Bowl, the Kansas City Chiefs wanted to bolster their defense as much as possible because that was their undoing, especially in their AFC Championship Game loss to New England.
They had their sights set on signing Earl Thomas to a one-year deal worth $12 million and were hoping that he and Tyrann Mathieu — another Pro Bowl-level safety they had brought in that offseason to try and turn things around defensively — could become an iconic duo in their secondary.
Well, that never came to fruition, as the Baltimore Ravens swooped in with a much bigger and better offer for Thomas. It was a four-year deal worth $55 million ($32 million guaranteed), which gave Thomas the long-term security he desired.
Looking back at things: Earl Thomas came close to signing a 1-year, $12M deal with the #Chiefs last offseason. KC wanted to pair him with Tyrann Mathieu. Baltimore swooped in towards the end and signed him to a 4-year, $55M deal with $32M guaranteed. One year later, he's gone.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) August 23, 2020
Thomas might have still gotten his $32 million guaranteed, but he’s out of Baltimore after just one year, as the Ravens released him.
Earl Thomas could have won a Super Bowl with the Chiefs.
The release of the seven-time Pro Bowl safety came after he got into an altercation with teammate Chuck Clark and had drama with Brandon Williams last season as well. He was also late to meetings and just didn’t seem to mesh with his Ravens teammates.
Baltimore was so desperate to move on from their expensive acquisition that they released him with three years left on his deal and are going to take a pretty big hit financially unless they can nix his guarantees. The release will cost $15 million, but there’s a chance they could file a grievance and only have to pay him $5 million in 2020.
The Chiefs could have used Thomas last year, but they ended up drafting Juan Thornhill out of Virginia to pair with Mathieu. Thornhill played great despite getting injured at the end of the year, but the Chiefs really didn’t end up needing Thomas.
Next. 4 teams that should sign Earl Thomas. dark
If Thomas had chosen the Chiefs initially, he’d have gotten a Super Bowl ring and probably could have commanded even more money on the open market this offseason as a free agent. No one blames him for picking the Ravens’ offer over Kansas City’s, but the Chiefs are definitely breathing a sigh of relief, especially after seeing how Thomas’ tenure in Baltimore ended.