AP source: Seattle, Thomas agree on extension

Discussion in 'National Football League' started by jixxjr, Apr 28, 2014.

  1. jixxjr

    jixxjr Well-Known Member

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    http://xfinity.comcast.net/articles/sports-nfl/20140428/Seahawks-Thomas.Extension/

    AP source: Seattle, Thomas agree on extension
    By TIM BOOTH, AP
    Mon Apr 28, 10:28 PM UTC

    Earl Thomas is the latest member of the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks to be locked up for the future.
    The best free safety in the NFL is getting rewarded quite well.
    Thomas and the Seahawks reached agreement Monday on a $40 million, four-year contract extension with just over $27.7 million guaranteed, according to two people with knowledge of the agreement. They spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because there had been no announcement from the team.
    The agreement was first reported by NFL.com.
    Thomas, a two-time first-team All-Pro, could have gone into the 2014 season with free agency on the horizon. Instead, Seattle made sure to keep the most important cog of its defense through the 2018 season.
    It's the latest move in a strong offseason for the defending champions. While there were losses in free agency and difficult roster decisions with expensive veterans released, Seattle re-signed defensive end Michael Bennett before free agency began, then locked up coach Pete Carroll with an extension through 2016.
    The debate was whether Seattle could get a long-term deal done with either Thomas or cornerback Richard Sherman before either became a free agent after the 2014 season.
    Thomas' deal is finished and the Seahawks can turn their attention toward trying to get a deal done with Sherman and solidifying three-fourths of the top secondary in the NFL for years to come.
    Strong safety Kam Chancellor is already signed through the 2017 season.
    Thomas was Seattle's second first-round pick in the 2010 draft, the first with Carroll and general manager John Schneider leading the franchise.
    It's turned out to be one of the most important selections the team has made since starting a makeover with the duo in charge of molding the Seahawks into a championship club.
    ''Earl is as serious a competitor as you could ever hope to be around. He is in it, and he's on it and dialed in,'' Carroll said before the Super Bowl.
    Thomas was Seattle's second-leading tackler last season and added five interceptions, but it's what his presence allows the Seahawks to do defensively that underscores his value. His speed in coverage and recognition in the secondary are among the best in the game. Much of what Seattle wants to do defensively is predicated on having Thomas on the roster.
    At one point early in his career, Carroll had to threaten Thomas with benching because he was trying to do too much. Thomas was getting out of position and being undisciplined in his assignments.
    As he matured, those mistakes became harder to find. Thomas' recognition of what opponents were trying to run became so good that he could play alone in the back of Seattle's defense.
    Often this past season, the Seahawks were able to move Chancellor closer to the line of scrimmage and ask Thomas to patrol the back end by himself. He did that job at an elite level and earned his second straight All-Pro selection.
    ''In this defense, I think me and Kam do a lot. Sometimes dirty work, sometimes a lot of game-changing plays,'' Thomas said during Super Bowl week. ''Everybody on the defense understands that. That's why this defense is so compatible with each other. It's selfless guys.
    ''We're going to put everything on the line for each other. Love is the highest frequency we have and we understand that, and that's what it's all about. When you're filled up with gratitude, it's a genuine appreciation for everybody around you. That's the way I love it.''
    Thomas has 15 career interceptions in the regular season and two more in the playoffs. Thomas will still only be 29 years old when his new deal expires after the 2018 season.
    ---
    AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL
    The Associated Press
     
  2. abyzmul

    abyzmul R.J. MacReady, 2018 Funniest Member Award Winner

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    This one was predictable, big money, watch the dominoes fall with the rest of their low round draft picks.
     
  3. Br4d

    Br4d 2018 Weeb Ewbank Award

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    They locked the right guy up first. Watch them take one of the 6'1"+ CB's in the draft now in round 1 or 2.
     
  4. Dax89

    Dax89 Active Member

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    This extension (10 mil/year, 6.9/year guaranteed) for an all pro vs DRC's (7.8 mil/year) seem utterly insane.
     
  5. Br4d

    Br4d 2018 Weeb Ewbank Award

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    It's a bit high for a safety but it's like 10% high, not the 30-40% high that Sherman is looking for. I'm not even sure the cap number is 10% high at this point. Reed and Polamalu were both $8M cap numbers a few years back and the cap is a good 20% higher than it was back then. If Thomas is the best FS in the NFL he may actually be worth the $10M a year figure. The guarantees are insane but that is what Seattle had to do to get him to sign.
     
  6. Dax89

    Dax89 Active Member

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    That didn't come out the way I meant it, I'm saying that's a much better deal than what the Giants gave DRC. Thomas is 10X the player that DRC is, and is what the Seahawks defense go. And it makes the 16 mil/year the Bucs gave Revis even more laughable. The fact that we got #13 overall and a 4th out of that deal is amazing.
     
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  7. Br4d

    Br4d 2018 Weeb Ewbank Award

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    I see what you're saying now.

    I believe that if you're going to have a star in the defensive backfield it's much better to have the guy at SS or FS than out on the edge. I do think $10M a year is a very high cap figure to spend on any guy back there but if you have to do it then spending it on a guy in the middle of the field is the way to go. He affects the whole field in a way that a CB just can't. When the QB is dropping back that safety is somebody that he has to take into account on most plays whereas he knows where the CB is based on where his receiver is going.
     
  8. RubenDias

    RubenDias Well-Known Member

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    People still undervalue the Safety position alot Rex Ryan included. A rangy FS is a game changer and its not like you can avoid him as you can avoid a top tier corner.
     
  9. OverloadBlitz

    OverloadBlitz Well-Known Member

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    How many Earl Thomas type players are in the league right now? Nobody ignores them they are extremely difficult to find.
     
  10. RubenDias

    RubenDias Well-Known Member

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    If you dont adress the position early in the draft it gets even harder to find them lol. They dont have to be like earl thomas to be relevant imo Eric Reid made istant impact as a 49er and he was 18th overall.
     

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