This post contains affiliate links. “As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.”
Seven-time Pro Bowl safety Earl Thomas wants to resume his NFL career after being out of the league for the past two seasons.
“I’m ready,” Thomas wrote to ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Friday. “I’m in shape. My timing is on point – I’m proud of that.”
Thomas, who turns 33 in May, has not played since he was released by the Baltimore Ravens in August 2020, two days after beating teammate Chuck Clark during a training camp.
With a brash and physical style, Thomas was once considered one of the best security guards in the NFL, having been named the First Team All-Pro from 2012 to 2014 as a member of the Seattle Seahawks’ Legion of Boom. However, Thomas’ relationship with the Seahawks was strained in 2018 when he blinked his right middle finger at coach Pete Carroll while being driven away with a broken leg.
A year later, Ravens Thomas signed a four-year, $ 55 million contract that included $ 32 million in guaranteed money, the largest amount given to a free agent in franchise history. But he lasted only 17 months in Baltimore, where his tumultuous time was marked by missed meetings, a few heated confrontations with teammates, two interceptions and a Pro Bowl appearance.
The breaking point with the Ravens came in the team’s fourth training camp training of the year. After Thomas blew a cover, Clark angrily ripped off his helmet and threw it to the ground. Thomas then beat Clark, a source said.
After being cut by Baltimore, Thomas wrote on Twitter: “Had a good race … wish things would have ended differently, but you live and you learn.”
Thomas has had a free-agent visit since then and met with the Houston Texans in September 2020. It was expected that Thomas would join the Texans, but he was never signed.
He filed a lawsuit against the Ravens and sought his guaranteed salary of $ 10 million by 2020. Baltimore declined to pay, saying he violated his contract with misdemeanor. Ravens GM Eric DeCosta said in February that Thomas’ complaint had not been resolved.
“We will continue to discuss it in a timely manner, and at some point, perhaps this year, we will have something to say about it,” DeCosta said.
Source link
