Earl Thomas still not traded but should he be?
By Lee Vowell
The NFL Draft is on Thursday and Earl Thomas is still a member of the Seattle Seahawks. But should he be? Wouldn’t Seattle be better off with Thomas being traded for high draft choices? Or would they?
Earl Thomas as of this writing is a Seattle Seahawk on the eve of the NFL draft. There have been plenty of rumors that Thomas will be traded to the Dallas Cowboys or some other team. The Cowboys come up a lot for one reason.
Earl Thomas on visiting Cowboys locker room after game: When the Seahawks kick me to the curb, please, Cowboys, come get me pic.twitter.com/gqp0eb2VFo
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) December 25, 2017
Thomas is from Texas and grew up as a Cowboys fan. But there are plenty of current NFL players who probably grew up as fans of different teams than they ones they play for. That doesn’t mean those players will eventually go to their boyhood favorite teams.
The real question with Thomas is how high of a value will other teams place on getting him. The Cowboys only have about $5 million in cap space currently. Getting Thomas does not mean just giving up a draft pick or two, it also means giving up a good player. Should Dallas do this? Is it wise?
Earl Thomas is a great player. But he also isn’t getting any younger. Would the Indianapolis Colts who own three second round picks trade for the free safety? Seattle has zero choices in the second and third rounds currently. And you just know that John Schneider wants more picks than the ones he has now. Plus, Seattle’s draft is backloaded. Not a good thing.
If the Colts offered two of those second round picks, should Seattle take it? First, the Colts are not likely to offer that. Secondly, Seattle needs another first, in my opinion. But two second rounders could be too valuable for Seattle to pass on.
The Cleveland Browns might also like to have Thomas on a young and possibly improving team. Cleveland added some pieces this offseason but they still stink. But adding Thomas would make them instantly better. Cleveland currently has two first round picks and then the number 33 choice. If Seattle could get the first or fourth pick, would an Earl Thomas trade be worth it? Yes.
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The issue really comes down to if Seattle thinks it can be good enough to get a playoff spot in 2018 with Thomas. If they do, keep him. If they do not in all honesty, trade him. Make the team better for the future if the present is fruitless.