Seahawks’ Earl Thomas Urges Team To Extend Contract Or Trade Him In Instagram Post

Earl Thomas on Monday sent the Seattle Seahawks a clear message via an Instagram post: extend me or trade me.

Seahawks’ Earl Thomas Gives Team Ultimatum On deal

The 29-year-old safety has been with the team since being drafted as a first-round pick (No. 14) out of Texas in 2014.

“Always been the underdog ain’t nothing new,” Thomas captioned a photo of himself working out. “Extend… if you don’t want me let’s make a trade happen I understand it’s a biz.”

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Thomas, a six-time Pro Bowler, is now entering the last season of a four-year, $40 million contract extension. He is one of the highest-paid safeties in the NFL on a per-year basis, a list he topped in 2014 when he first signed the pact.

Among the other actions the Seahawks have recently undertaken are the parting of ways with two defensive veterans: cornerback Richard Sherman, who was released, and defensive end Michael Bennett, who was traded. Defensive end Cliff Avril recently retired following an injury. Another Seattle safety, Kam Chancellor, recently posted a vague retirement message on social media.

According to ESPN, Thomas did not attend Seattle’s minicamp this offseason due to discontent with his contract scenario. The safety is set to earn $8.5 million this year. Several reports earlier this year claimed the Dallas Cowboys offered to trade Thomas during draft week.

This may have been in response to Thomas approaching Cowboys coach Jason Garrett following a game late last season and telling him “If you have a chance to get me, come get me.” Thomas’s plea was caught on a microphone:

Thomas later explained those comments to reporters in the locker room.

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“I don’t literally mean, ‘Come get me now,'” said the safety. “I’m still in the prime of my career. I still want to be here. But when Seattle kicks me to the curb, please, the Cowboys, come get me. This is the only place I’d rather be if I get kicked to the curb.”

The Seahawks’ training camp is scheduled to start on July 26.