49ers Do NOT NEED Earl Thomas III
Nope. Nah. No thanks.
That is all that needs to be said when it comes to the notion of safety Earl Thomas III joining the San Francisco 49ers.
Thomas is officially an unrestricted free agent. The Baltimore Ravens released him Sunday after a recent scuffle with a teammate. The 49ers have been linked as one of the teams who could sign Thomas according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
There is certainly going to be a handful of suitors for Thomas' services, but the 49ers should not be one of them.
They do NOT NEED him.
I understand the temptation of wanting him. He is a superb talent and it is always fun to play with the idea of having your favorite team acquire a popular name.
But it is a major red flag to see Thomas get suddenly cut after a simple scuffle with a teammate. Clearly, there is more to this than meets the eye. This seems like it's the last straw with Thomas, and that there has been a lot of irritating events occurring with him behind closed doors.
So his release stems deeper than just a fight at practice. Fights at practice, especially in training camp, go down all the time. That isn't what causes the red flag, but the true mystery of what was happening away from watchful eyes.
I do not even have to mention that the 49ers are fine at safety with Jimmie Ward, who they just cashed out, and Jaquiski Tartt. Thomas is an upgrade over them and is familiar with the defensive system, but a move like this would be a head-scratcher.
There isn't a need at safety that would warrant this, and I sincerely doubt Thomas would take a discount to come play for the 49ers, especially since the Ravens are going to recoup most, if not all of Thomas' salary.
It is just too much of a case to build against Thomas joining the 49ers. This is not a move I would envision ever becoming reality either because the 49ers do take careful consideration of a player's personality. They do not just care about what they can on Sundays. If a player proves problematic throughout the week, then he isn't worth the hassle.
Just ask Reuben Foster, who kept fumbling the bag. The only reason the 49ers stayed committed to him for so long was because of the draft capital they invested in him.
Thomas to the 49ers makes no sense and I see no chance of it happening no matter how much "interest" they reportedly have in him.
