Seahawks might get Earl Thomas back but there is a catch

Earl Thomas says he can “envision” retiring with the Seahawks. But first he has to find his way back.

Former Seahawks safety Earl Thomas never ceases to surprise. He has always had a way with words, strange though they sometimes may be. Thomas was a great player in a Seattle uniform and no matter what anyone thinks of him now, the franchise was better having him on the field.

Now Thomas will play with the Ravens. The safety now-famously left the field in week four of 2018 after being injured and flipped the Seattle off as he was being carted off. This seemed in poor taste as it was just weeks before the death of Seahawks owner Paul Allen who had been battling illness for some time. Maybe Thomas didn’t know about his owner’s illness. Or maybe Thomas just wasn’t thinking about anything other than his own hurt feelings.

But wouldn’t you know it but Thomas goes on the Rich Eisen Show on Wednesday and talks about how he can “envision” himself retiring as a Seahawk. But wait, there’s a bit of catch. Thomas doesn’t really want to come back and play in a Seattle uniform. He simply wants to sign a one-day deal at his retirement so the last team he can say he worked for was Seattle.

To be fair, Eisen led Thomas into answering the question about the one-day contract. Thomas did not come up with that on his own. And lots of players have signed one-day contracts, of course. This would be nothing new. Thomas wants to have his jersey retired by the Seahawks after he retires. To be honest, he probably deserves that.

12s will have differing opinions when reflecting on Thomas’ time in Seattle. Maybe some will never lose the negative image of Thomas leaving the field and being disrespectful of the Seahawks’ sideline. Most likely, the majority of 12s will simply overlook Thomas’ indiscretion and remember him as being a part of a Super Bowl-winning team. And maybe Thomas will have his jersey retired by the Seahawks. He earned it.