Don’t bank on an Earl Thomas reunion with the Seahawks

Earl Thomas shouldn’t have much trouble finding his next team, just don’t bet on a reunion with the Seattle Seahawks.

After a fight at practice and indications more teammates had issues with him, the Baltimore Ravens cut safety Earl Thomas on Sunday. The seven-time Pro Bowler completed one year of his four-year, $55 million deal, but Baltimore deemed the $25 million in cap implications (pending voiding some money for conduct detrimental) they’ll take on as a worthy cost to cut bait.

Thomas shouldn’t have too much trouble finding a new team. But it is noteworthy that two of the most credible organizations in the NFL, fronted by two of the most player-friendly head coaches in the league, have deemed Thomas to not be worth the trouble in the space of 18 months.

When Thomas was last seen in a Seattle Seahawks’ uniform, he was being carted off the field with a broken leg in Arizona during the 2018 season. He wanted to get paid big in his next contract, and the Seahawks balked. So Thomas extended a one-finger salute to head coach Pete Carroll as he made his exit on the cart.

Pete Carroll has no time for Earl Thomas noise

Carroll was asked about Thomas’ situation on Monday, as could easily be expected. As is typically the case when a coach speaks, it was as much about what he didn’t say as what he said.

“It’s been a tough time for Earl,” Carroll said, via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. “That’s a hard situation. I feel bad for him. I wish he could have avoided that from happening, whatever that was. . . . That’s a bad state to get in when they send you home.”

Carroll surely experienced some of the bad side of Thomas toward the end in Seattle, as his contract status came up and he was obviously unhappy with the team’s unwillingness to pony up. In recent light, the Seahawks absolutely got it right. And Carroll clearly has no sympathy for his former safety.