It was a rather tumultuous breakup between Earl Thomas and the Seattle Seahawks.
The most consistent, and arguably the best member of the Legion of Boom held out for nearly the entire summer, asking the Seahawks to either sign him to an extension with guaranteed money or to trade him to a team that would.
The Seahawks opted for neither, and Thomas eventually returned to the field, famously claiming that “the disrespect will not be forgotten.”
Thomas broke his leg during Seattle’s fourth game, and while getting carted off the field, he made an obscene gesture toward the Seahawks sideline, which he eventually admitted was directed at coach Pete Carroll.
Thomas then signed a massive four-year, $55 million dollar with the Ravens, effectively ending his tenure as a Seahawk.
Or perhaps not.
Thomas appeared on “The Rich Eisen Show” on Wednesday, saying he envisions retiring as a member of the Seahawks someday and that he would “never burn a bridge there.”
“I still love my teammates,” Thomas continued. “Hopefully they’ll hang my jersey in the rafters.”
Whether Thomas actually wants to play for the Seahawks again, just wants to ceremonially retire as a Seahawk or is just trying to smooth the waters remains to be seen.
It’s quite likely Thomas’ jersey will someday hang in the rafters at CenturyLink field. After all, he was one of the greatest players in franchise history — whether or not he ever wears the uniform in a game again.
