The Baltimore Ravens don’t seem to know what to do with safety Earl Thomas, who got sent home for an altercation with a teammate at Friday’s practice and was not present for Saturday’s session.
He wrote on Instagram that he doesn’t want the Ravens to cut him, but anything is on the table, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. Cutting Thomas would result in a $15 million salary-cap hit for Baltimore. Keeping him could continue to negatively impact the locker room chemistry.
The Ravens can’t win.
Thomas posted to Instagram on Sunday explaining how the fight escalated — but the safety deleted the post not long after putting it up. The post included a video of the play, which caused the discord.
“Being sent home sucks I can’t take the reps I need to keep momentum going .. but I can reflect on things and keep working my plan to help the team win… This has been one of of my best camps crazy a situation like this can through dirt on it,” Thomas wrote in the now-deleted Instagram post. “A mental error on my part .. A Busted coverage that I tried to explain calmly meet with built up aggression turned into me getting into with a teammate.
“Since we didn’t keep it in house and I’m getting text and calls from ESPN reporters etc: thought I’d try and clear the air. Situations like this narrow my window for error but this the path I choose.”
Thomas’ first season with the Ravens did not go well. In 2019, he logged just two interceptions for Baltimore, and his most notable plays were highlights for opponents: a 88-yard touchdown for Nick Chubb and a strong stiff arm for Derrick Henry in the playoffs. Had he proven more valuable in 2019, the Ravens might be more concerned about filling his spot in the back end of the secondary. But perhaps safeties like Reshad Jones or Eric Reid, who are currently free agents, might ease those concerns.
The one loophole that might help the Ravens (and would, in turn, burn Thomas) is that they can suspend the safety for conduct detrimental to the team before cutting him. According to Pro Football Talk, that sequence of events would give the Ravens cap relief to the tune of $10 million, because the violation of team rules can absolve Baltimore from paying some of Thomas’ guaranteed money. That said, Thomas would probably appeal that decision. The break wouldn’t be clean.
It’s an ugly, messy situation. There’s no right way to handle it.
