Earl Thomas to hold out until contract resolved

Now this is weird. I can see this is at UCLA. ET poses with Chip Kelly from there today also. :229031_confused2:

Draw your own conclusions. unno: :hmmmm:

[tweet]https://twitter.com/DangeRussWilson/status/1019086174202167297[/tweet]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/JaredStanger/status/1019099785293205504[/tweet]

If he wants to sit out let him sit! He has destroyed any trade value he had and just continues. If he wants to get paid he will show up and earn a new contract from someone, if not franchise him next year and make him play. He is not about the team at all. I appreciate everything he has done and I was on the fence after the Dallas fiasco but after saying he wanted to be here he has done nothing that should make anyone feel that way. Bye Bennett, bye Sherman and bye Earl. I want to get back to a team I want to root for!!

I get the feeling the Hawks are ready to move on. Earl is just desperate at this point. How much money does Earl want to lose? Earl really has no leverage if the Hawks are done with him. If the Hawks were ready to pay him a lot of money they would have already done it. They are likely just waiting to see what he does. Earl already owes the Hawks about $84K for missing mandatory OTAs.

He could miss $40K for every day of TC. He also could be fined up to an additional $2.5M depending on how much of TC he misses. If he skips all of preseason and the Hawks are comfortable with his replacement the Hawks could suspend him for the season for failing to report. His contract wouldn't toll. The Hawks have the leverage. And Earl would still owe all that money.

It's going to be interesting watching this play out. The Hawks made an example of Kam's holdout. Do they do the same with Earl.

Earl is my 2nd favorite Hawks. But, in what world has he always been an underdog? :roll:

Our poor HOF FS at his prime is doing his utmost in advertising his muscle on instagram, Being the best, yet unwanted and having to advertise must be absolutely devastating.
[instagram]BlTojGUFuR2[/instagram]
[instagram]BlMONh8FfcG[/instagram]

SoulfishHawk":2edam15j said:

Earl is my 2nd favorite Hawks. But, in what world has he always been an underdog? :roll:

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Intellectually?

He's not an underdog. He's always been one of the top players at his position at every level. And paid handsomely.

OMG, John is pitching Earl to Panthers?

https://pantherswire.usatoday.com/2018/ ... rl-thomas/

j hawk":22zv5uf6 said:

The Seahawks should not be held hostage, both for now and future players. Let him sit no-play no-pay. Move on. Let him miss out on 8 million dollars. I am done with him. Thanks Earl to bad you lost it at the end.

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I cannot agree more. Time to let him sit on the pine if there is no trade. Treat him like Marcus Allen if he comes back and tell him that beforehand. YOU WILL RIDE THE PINE THE ENTIRE YEAR IF YOU DON'T APPLY YOURSELF STARTING AT TRAINING CAMP, or sit out and lose your pay. Let him know Seattle will honor their side of the contract, but he has lost his starting job.

toffee":2ttno1c9 said:

OMG, John is pitching Earl to Panthers?

https://pantherswire.usatoday.com/2018/ ... rl-thomas/

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Unless I missed it, that article doesn’t say that.

Well this isn't exactly good news

https://247sports.com/nfl/seattle-seaha ... 120047511/

Bluff....nothing to see here IMO. He's selling his house yet reporting if we sign him? Ummmm where you gunna live Earl? :roll:

Sgt. Largent":a0sd24go said:

Well this isn't exactly good news

https://247sports.com/nfl/seattle-seaha ... 120047511/

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Good, let him be "done" and never earn another dime playing football in the NFL. This is what happens when you let petulant adults be themselves and reward their behavior, they treat you like dirt and claim abuse on the way out.

It's not his call, I love me some Earl, but at this point, trade him to whatever team gives the best offer. Come on Cleveland, get it done. These athletes have "so rough" :roll:
They are plenty happy when they sign their huge deals, a few years later the act disrespected. Then STOP SIGNING long term deals.

What's irritating is that the Hawks should have been done with this months ago. Like naive fans, they didn't believe it could get caustic. This story should be old news and it's not. Stupid and naive, John. Everyone around the league knows Thomas' worth now, or lack there of. Should gave taken a 3rd, dummy.

SoulfishHawk":2m34jmx8 said:

It's not his call, I love me some Earl, but at this point, trade him to whatever team gives the best offer. Come on Cleveland, get it done. These athletes have "so rough" :roll:
They are plenty happy when they sign their huge deals, a few years later the act disrespected. Then STOP SIGNING long term deals.

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I get both sides, but I'm a Hawk's fan first, and Earl fan 2nd.

I get why he's frustrated...........last year of his deal, feels like he's still in his prime and wants another contract.

But if I'm his agent? Holding out doesn't accomplish anything other than keeping your value low because you won't come back in football shape, might now suffer another injury to where no team will want to trade for you and give you a monster extension.

Come into camp, hopefully have a great healthy productive year, and then next year either as a free agent or when we franchise you another team will give the Hawks the proper value and you get your deal.

vin.couve12":1xyow8lv said:

What's irritating is that the Hawks should have been done with this months ago. Like naive fans, they didn't believe it could get caustic. This story should be old news and it's not. Stupid and naive, John. Everyone around the league knows Thomas' worth now, or lack there of. Should gave taken a 3rd, dummy.

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Oh I think John and Pete FULLY expected this..............but their playing hardball and aren't going to part with one of the best safeties in his prime for a mid to late round pick.

Nor should we want them too, we've already gotten the short end of the stick on trade deals. Giving up Earl for a 3rd or 4th rounder would be terrible business.

Good. Play hardball, make Earl report in week 6, then if he plays well? Franchise his ass and hope teams see that he's now healthy and still productive and give us what we want.

Sgt. Largent":31816f1s said:

vin.couve12":31816f1s said:

What's irritating is that the Hawks should have been done with this months ago. Like naive fans, they didn't believe it could get caustic. This story should be old news and it's not. Stupid and naive, John. Everyone around the league knows Thomas' worth now, or lack there of. Should gave taken a 3rd, dummy.

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Oh I think John and Pete FULLY expected this..............but their playing hardball and aren't going to part with one of the best safeties in his prime for a mid to late round pick.

Nor should we want them too, we've already gotten the short end of the stick on trade deals. Giving up Earl for a 3rd or 4th rounder would be terrible business.

Good. Play hardball, make Earl report in week 6, then if he plays well? Franchise his ass and hope teams see that he's now healthy and still productive and give us what we want.

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What's to stop him from holding out next year if we franchise tag him? I don't know all the legalities and technicalities so please bear with me.

Clearly one of the barriers to any positive outcome - either signing a long term deal with the Seahawks, or a trade to any other team - is Earl's Demand to be the highest paid Safety in the league. There have been rumblings over the past year that Earl's baseline contract would be the Eric Berry Deal - 6 year $78 million. Yet the safety market has been rather ice cold the past year. I am sure that any team thinking of spending a 2nd round pick on Thomas will want an extension in place....or at least feel comfortable with future contract parameters....especially if he is only willing to be traded to one cap-strapped team (Cowboys) I am not sure that Earl's expectations are remotely realistic.

I expect that this situation will get even uglier before it is all said-and-done. Not sure how any amicable solution can be reached. I would not be shocked if Seattle just traded Earl to the highest bidding team in terms of draft picks, and the receiving team would try and "woo" Thomas to their team in the future by overpaying maybe? Not sure that Earl can get PAID and play for a specific team.....

jmahon316":19il1tyj said:

Sgt. Largent":19il1tyj said:

vin.couve12":19il1tyj said:

What's irritating is that the Hawks should have been done with this months ago. Like naive fans, they didn't believe it could get caustic. This story should be old news and it's not. Stupid and naive, John. Everyone around the league knows Thomas' worth now, or lack there of. Should gave taken a 3rd, dummy.

Click to expand...

Oh I think John and Pete FULLY expected this..............but their playing hardball and aren't going to part with one of the best safeties in his prime for a mid to late round pick.

Nor should we want them too, we've already gotten the short end of the stick on trade deals. Giving up Earl for a 3rd or 4th rounder would be terrible business.

Good. Play hardball, make Earl report in week 6, then if he plays well? Franchise his ass and hope teams see that he's now healthy and still productive and give us what we want.

Click to expand...

What's to stop him from holding out next year if we franchise tag him? I don't know all the legalities and technicalities so please bear with me.

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Same rules, he has to come back by week 6 of the season to make the contract year count.

But we can franchise Earl for two more years before his safety number is cap prohibitive. The safety franchise number is barely more than he's making now.

So yeah, does he want to do this for three more years? I don't get what leverage Earl thinks he has.