Free safety Earl Thomas, now with the Baltimore Ravens, finished his final season in Seattle on injured reserve. Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar believes Thomas is a prime candidate to become the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year.
Selected by Seattle in the first round of the 2010 NFL draft, Thomas appeared in every game over the first six seasons of his career before suffering his first major injury in December 2016. He played just 29 games over his last three seasons in a Seahawks uniform.
Unable to reach an agreement on an extension with the Seahawks last offseason, Thomas held out until the start of the regular season; he then reported to the team, gambling on a final year with no injury. As he was carted off the field in Week 4 against the Cardinals, Thomas directed an obscene gesture at the Seahawks sideline.
“Needless to say, Thomas’ time with the Seahawks was over,” Farrar writes. “The 30-year-old signed a four-year, $55 million contract with the Ravens in March, and though he’s lost a little of his formerly unreal top-end speed, he’s still one of the smartest, most intense and most aggressive safeties in the business. A full healthy season could be a revelation.”
Thomas will get another shot to play at CenturyLink Field when the Seahawks host the Ravens in Week 7 in Seattle.
