Six-time Pro Bowl free safety Earl Thomas ends holdout with Seattle Seahawks
Wednesday 5 September 2018 21:06, UK
Six-time Pro Bowl free safety Earl Thomas is ending his holdout with the Seattle Seahawks but has vowed not to forget the "disrespect" he has been shown.
Thomas, a three-time first-team All Pro, held out from all offseason activities and did not report to training camp.
The 29-year-old wanted a new multi-year deal, and if the Seahawks did not accommodate his request, Thomas wanted to be traded. He singled out Dallas as his preferred destination, but the Cowboys could not make a deal.
In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Thomas said: "I worked my whole life for this... I've never let me teammates, city or fans down as long as I've lived and don't plan on starting this weekend.
"With that being said, the disrespect has been well noted and will not be forgotten. Father Time may have an undefeated record but best believe I plan on taking him into triple overtime when it comes to my career."
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The Cowboys had been offering a third-round draft pick, and ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Wednesday that the Cowboys upped their offer to a second-round pick in the last week. However, the Seahawks rejected the offer.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported last weekend that multiple other teams were interested in dealing for Thomas but had not met Seattle's demands.
Thomas is slated to earn $8.5m in 2018. For every week he did not report, he would have lost $500,000 based on a 17-week schedule.
In 121 career games (all starts), Thomas has 25 interceptions and 642 tackles.
He communicated his reasons for his holdout in an article he wrote for The Players Tribune in August.
"I'm standing strong on this - because I've got to. I'm standing strong when it comes to getting what I deserve," Thomas wrote.
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"I've been one of the best defensive players in this league for the better part of a decade, and the numbers show that this team plays much better with me than without me.
"Beyond that, I still have some great years of football left in my tank. I'm not even close to slowing down. I'm still working to get better.
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"If you're risking your body to deliver all of this value to an organization, then you deserve some sort of assurance that the organization will take care of you if you get hurt. It's that simple.
"This isn't new, and this isn't complicated. It's the reason I'm holding out - I want to be able to give my everything, on every play, without any doubt in my mind."
