Earl Thomas Could Play on Sunday Following Seahawks Truce

It appears as though the standoff between All-Pro safety Earl Thomas and the Seattle Seahawks is nearing a conclusion.

Earl Thomas announced via his Instagram on Wednesday that he plans to report to the team. This is despite his unhappiness over how negotiations for his new contract played out.

“I worked my whole life for this,” Earl Thomas posted. “I’ve never let me teammates, city or fans down as long as I’ve lived and don’t plan on starting this weekend.

“With that being said, the disrespect has been well noted and will not be forgotten. Father Time may have an undefeated record but best believe I plan on taking him into triple overtime when it comes to my career.”

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Seahawks coach Pete Carroll confirmed on Wednesday that Thomas was practising with the team. However, he didn’t say whether Thomas would start their season opener against the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

The 29 year old Thomas enters the final year of his contract and is seeking a new deal. His current contract pays a base salary of $8.5 million. Considering his three All-Pro and six Pro Bowl selections, Thomas feels he deserves more.

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It’s hard to argue with that view when you look at his statistics. Since his rookie season in 2010, he has 25 interceptions and 10-plus forced fumbles. He is the only player to achieve this since 2010. His 25 interceptions are also the fourth most since 2010, behind Richard Sherman (32), Reggie Nelson (29), and Brent Grimes (26).

Pete Carrol said on Wednesday that he has met with Thomas, but that he’s not guaranteed to start on Sunday.

“There are all kinds of stuff,” Carroll said. “I don’t know what kind of shape he’s in and all that kind of stuff. We’ll figure it out.”