Earl Thomas Feels "Disrespect" From The Seahawks, But He'll End His Holdout

All-Pro Seahawks safety Earl Thomas has been holding out for a contract extension this offseason, and the team has been unwilling to meet his demand that it either pay him what he’s worth or trade him to a team that will. Thomas is and has long been one of the best safeties in the game, and he’s still in his prime, but the Seahawks have been steadfast in their refusal to give him a long-term extension. The Cowboys reportedly offered a second-round pick for Thomas earlier this week, an offer that left the Seahawks unimpressed. “In the NFL,” Thomas wrote last month in an essay about why he was holding out, “no matter what you’ve done or what you’ve accomplished, teams are constantly reminding you that you don’t matter.”

Thomas announced today that he would end his holdout and report to camp ahead of Seattle’s Week 1 game in Denver. He also posted on Instagram that he wouldn’t let his “teammates, city, or fans” down by missing any game time. However, he continued, “With that being said, the disrespect has been well noted and will not be forgotten.”

Thomas is owed $8.5 million this year, and he will enter unrestricted free agency at the season’s end. It’s hard to see him coming back to Seattle after this, and another fantastic year from Thomas is more than the team deserves for refusing to give him his money.