The Seattle Seahawks and their players are set to report to training camp in the Pacific Northwest on Thursday.
It’s a changing of the tide for head coach Pete Carroll and Co. after the team moved on from both coordinators and multiple Pro Bowlers during the offseason.
One mainstay, safety Earl Thomas, might not be among those to report to camp. Thomas held out throughout the team’s off-season activities and is demanding a long-term contract. Should that not come to fruition, he wants to be traded.
Having previously talked to the Dallas Cowboys about a potential trade, this report from NFL Media’s Jane Slater notes that the Cowboys and Seahawks have not talked since prior to the draft in April.
And Cowboys fans trying to keep the ET dream alive, a person with knowledge of the situation tells me they haven’t had any conversations about Thomas to Dallas since pre-draft. https://t.co/aCvdhsJNQP
— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) July 23, 2018
Slater’s report was in response to her colleague, Mike Garafolo, noting that Thomas is unlikely to report to camp this week. Garafolo also noted that just because Seattle doesn’t want to do a contract right now, it doesn’t mean the team is against the idea of extending the All-Pro safety.
Thomas, 29, has one year remaining on his contract with a base salary of $8.5 million. Certainly, his stance is more about receiving a long-term commitment from Seattle. Short of that happening, trade rumors will continue to circulate.
As of right now, Seattle is missing its entire secondary, formerly known as the Legion of Boom. That includes Richard Sherman signing with the division-rival San Francisco 49ers and Kam Chancellor announcing his retirement from the game.
Should this Thomas situation play out through the start of the season, it will lead to a rather large uphill climb for Seattle in the vastly improved NFC West.