Earl Thomas Trade Rumors: Seahawks Safety 'Drawing Interest,' No Deal Imminent
The Seattle Seahawks are receiving trade interest in safety Earl Thomas, but there's "nothing imminent" regarding a deal for the three-time All-Pro, Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson reported Monday.
Seahawks general manager John Schneider told reporters*Friday at the NFL Scouting Combine the team is "just open to anything" regarding a possible trade for Thomas or another of Seattle's veteran defenders.
Robinson included defensive end Michael Bennett as a player the Seahawks could potentially trade and speculated Seattle may be looking to acquire a second or third-round pick in the 2018 NFL draft. After selecting 18th in the first round, the Seahawks' next pick comes in the fourth round at 120th overall.
While Thomas is coming off another Pro Bowl season, he's a natural candidate for the Seahawks to consider moving this offseason.
He's in the final year of his contract, and re-signing him next offseason won't be easy for Seattle, especially since the team will want to keep as much financial flexibility as possible for Russell Wilson's extension. Wilson's contract expires after the 2019 season.
Trading Thomas would also create some cap space this offseason. By executing the move before June 1, the Seahawks would save $8.5 million against $1.9 million in dead cap money, per*Over the Cap. That's not insignificant for a team with just*$13.4 million*in projected cap space.
Since he continues to play at a high level, the Seahawks would be in a strong negotiating position. Thomas finished 2017 with 88 combined tackles and two interceptions. It seems reasonable to expect Seattle could get back a second-round pick—and possibly more.
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