Earl Thomas’ exit from his first NFL team, the Seattle Seahawks, was a long, drawn-out process where Thomas lobbied for a contract extension that would never come, only to get injured in the team’s fourth regular-season game and be forced to miss the rest of the year.
Thomas signed with the Baltimore Ravens during the 2019 offseason, accumulating 49 tackles, two sacks, and two interceptions for the Ravens, in what now appears to be his lone season in Baltimore. The team released the 31-year-old safety following an on-field scuffle with Chuck Clark.
Baltimore sent Thomas home following the practice.
The team announced the released Sunday morning. The altercation took place during a team workout on Friday.
We have terminated S Earl Thomas’ contract for personal conduct that has adversely affected the Baltimore Ravens.
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 23, 2020
And don’t expect Thomas to go quietly, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Thomas punched Clark, and that the former Seahawk will file a grievance against the Ravens, meaning the team could end up paying a portion, or all, of the $10 million in guaranteed salary on his deal for this season.
As for Earl Thomas guaranteed $10M, the default language negotiated in his contract is not expected to come into play as he did not default under terms of his individual player contract. It’s expected to come down to an interpretation of Notice Of Termination, part of the CBA. https://t.co/KrAEPTbHB0
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 23, 2020
Baltimore, in releasing the safety, will try and void the contract, so a messy divorce seems likely.
Thomas was good for the Ravens in 2019, but wasn’t quite his dominant self that roamed the defensive backfield in Seattle. Perhaps he still wasn’t fully healed from the knee injury of the previous year.
For his career, Earl Thomas has 713 tackles and 30 interceptions.
He was taken with the 14th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft by Seattle.
