Kansas City Chiefs: Chiefs should avoid trade for Earl Thomas
By John McCarty
It’s All About The Money
Earl Thomas isn’t unhappy specifically in Seattle. He wants to get paid and is unhappy his current team isn’t willing to take care of paying him. And reportedly, Thomas is looking to get a big payday, perhaps in the ballpark of an Eric Berry type contract. This issue all centers around getting paid.
Thomas likely saw the market for safeties absolutely crater during the offseason, seeing players like Tre Boston and Kenny Vaccaro, in their primes, getting one-year deals in free agency. Turning 30 right at the start of free agency next year in a league that views 30 like the plague, Thomas likely is trying to get a payday while he has some leverage.
The Chiefs have a slew of contracts to resolve this offseason, including free agents such as Mitch Morse, Chris Conley, Anthony Sherman, Allen Bailey, Jarvis Jenkins, Dee Ford, and Harrison Butker. They also have major free agents to beginning extension talks with that includes Tyreek Hill and Kendall Fuller. Also, let’s not forget, after the 2019 season, the Chiefs can begin the process of extending emerging star Patrick Mahomes.
The Chiefs already have Eric Berry under contract for big money, and it’s hard to imagine the reasoning why the Chiefs would enter the market of paying two aging safeties massive contracts when so many emerging, younger players need attention. As is true in life so true in the NFL, you simply can’t pay everyone.