Walter Thurmond III Turned Down Multi-Year Deal

This is something you don’t see all too often. According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, first-year New York Giants cornerback Walter Thurmond III turned down a multi-year offer from the team in order to sign on for just one season. 

Thurmond III, a key part of the Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl winning team last season, has an interesting and refreshing reason why he turned down the more lucrative deal. Graziano reported the following.

Thursday morning, I asked Walter Thurmond whether he’d had the opportunity to sign a longer-term deal. He said he did, and that the Giants actually offered three years, but that he preferred to take one to keep himself hungry.

The ESPN scribe goes on to indicate that there could be more reasons why Thurmond III turned down the three-year deal. The most obvious of which is the possibility that he could earn more money next offseason with a solid performance in New York this year. As you already know with the cornerback extensions and deals agreed to this past offseason, that position is continuing to grow in value. By turning down a three-year offer, Thurmond III is banking on himself to perform at a high level this year in order to cash in next spring.

The talented cornerback recorded one interception and seven passes defended in 12 games (three starts) for Seattle last year. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Thurmond III finished with a +5.7 grade in coverage, which ranked him 24th among qualified corners in that category.

Photo: NY Post