Former Seahawks All-Pro S Earl Thomas 'Ready' For Return to NFL

After being out of the NFL for each of the past two seasons, former Seahawks star safety Earl Thomas has sights set on making a comeback in 2022.

In a text sent to ESPN insider Adam Schefter on Friday, Thomas wrote, "I'm ready. I'm in shape. My timing is on point - I'm proud of that."

Set to turn 33 in May, Thomas last played for the Ravens in 2019, earning a Pro Bowl in his lone season with the organization. He hasn't been on an NFL roster since the team released him after he threw a punch at then-teammate Chuck Clark during a training camp practice in August 2020. He has since filed a grievance seeking his $10 million guaranteed salary for 2020, but the organization has declined to pay up, saying he breached his contract with conduct detrimental to the team.

Known for his bravado, physicality, and ball-hawking skills, Thomas promptly emerged as one of the league's premier safeties after the Seahawks drafted him 14th overall in the 2010 NFL Draft and became a key cog of the vaunted "Legion of Boom" secondary. As a rookie, the ex-Texas star started all 16 games manning center field for coach Pete Carroll's defense, intercepting five passes and producing 76 tackles.

Starting in 2011, Thomas made six Pro Bowls and earned All-Pro honors five times over the next seven seasons for Seattle, including three straight First-Team All-Pro selections from 2012 to 2014. Helping lead the franchise to its first Super Bowl victory in 2013, he finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting after registering 105 tackles, five interceptions, and two forced fumbles.

Unfortunately, Thomas' time in Seattle didn't end on a positive note. Frustrated by his contract situation, he infamously marched into Dallas' locker room after a Week 16 contest at the end of the 2017 season and told coach Jason Garrett "to come get me." Without an extension being offered, he held out of training camp the following August before reporting just before the start of the regular season.

After getting off to a hot start with a pair of interceptions in the Seahawks first three games, Thomas suffered a broken leg while defending a pass in the end zone against the Cardinals in Week 4. He left the field on a medical cart and could be seen waving his right middle finger in the direction of Carroll on the sidelines.

While Seattle initially struggled to replace Thomas, who bolted for Baltimore in free agency, the team acquired Quandre Diggs from Detroit for a fifth-round pick in a midseason deal before the trade deadline. That trade turned out to be a steal for the franchise, as Diggs earned back-to-back Pro Bowl nods in 2020 and 2021 and recently signed a much-deserved three-year, $40 million extension to stay in the Pacific Northwest.

Boasting a Hall of Fame worthy resume, even after missing the past two seasons and dealing with off-field issues, including a violent altercation with his wife, it wouldn't be surprising if Thomas drew interest from a few safety-needy teams after next week's draft and lands several workouts. He last worked out for the Texans in 2020 before ultimately not signing a contract and interestingly, they may be a potential suitor now after losing Justin Reid in free agency.

Still, given his advancing age, his long absence from the sport, and his ugly exits from Seattle and Baltimore coupled with off-field drama, teams likely won't be in a rush to sign Thomas either.

If there's one team that can be ruled out, while they have brought back former players at the tail end of their careers several times previously, the Seahawks certainly don't have any reason to pursue a reunion with Thomas. With Diggs and Jamal Adams both under contract through 2024 and reliable reserve options behind them, they are set at safety and considering how he departed nearly four years ago, the bridge seems burned beyond repair.

With that said, time heals wounds and while it's improbable Thomas will ever wear a Seahawks uniform again, hopefully he will be able to write a better ending for his career with another team giving him a shot to play again. Down the road, fans will eagerly await the opportunity to cheer him on with his No. 29 going up in the rafters as a member of the Ring of Honor.