Earl Thomas is heading to Baltimore

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Earl Thomas has a new home and a fat wallet, and the Ravens have a centerpiece of a defense again.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Ravens will sign the Seahawks safety to a four-year, $55 million deal which includes $32 million fully guaranteed at signing.

The deal includes $22 million to be paid out in the first nine months.

It’s a huge get for the Ravens, considering they’ve lost C.J. Mosley, Eric Weddle, Terrell Suggs and Za'Darius Smith already.

Thomas gives them the kind of cornerstone safety they’ve had in the past, and his deal continues a trend of top safeties getting paid for a change.

68 responses to “Earl Thomas is heading to Baltimore

  1. Kudos to Cowboys for having a plan and sticking to it!!! FA Is mess. Draft and build from within. 4 years for an aging safety with leg injuries. Have at ’em!

  2. That is a lot of money for an ageing, injury recovering safety. Are they really better off with Thomas over Weddle? Strange move. Crazy money for a safety.

  3. Good move! Question is how much he plays.. how long can he stay healthy?? Reminds me of bob sanders from the colts.. game changing Safety but can’t stay long enough on the field..

  4. Great player!! Good signing!! Ravens better hope he can stay healthy… reminds me of bob sanders from the colts; game changing safety that couldn’t stay healthy throughout the season

  5. Single high safeties that can track the ball are harder to come by than good quarterbacks.

    There are 7 or 8 really good quarterbacks and like 3 really good FREE safeties in the entire league.

    Earl is still one of them.

  6. 30 year old, over the hill, injury-plagued safety with 33 million in guarantees
    This reeks of a knee jerk reaction to the defensive exodus that has ensued. This guy is a bum, 3 steps slow and won’t play half the games this year.

  7. I am extremely happy for Earl, who will be my favorite Seahawk of all time for a long time to come. The Ravens are one of the only organizations that will be able to maximize his talents, and they obviously value him. I will always be ashamed of the Seahawks for his treatment at the end. After what he accomplished for us, his stance of “pay me or trade me” was done respectfully… He didn’t make rap songs, or stream team meetings and call out team-
    mates. He should have been accomodated, because he has earned it. I hope he goes 1st team all pro, just to prove the Seahawks wrong.

  8. Perfect Raven. Annoying, loud, obnoxious, and classless. I knew he was going there months before he did. Who is next for the Ravens? Suh?

  9. People comparing Weddle to Thomas, surely you scoff. One is a Hall of Fame talent. The other is well, Eric Weddle. Not to mention five years older. He broke his leg this time, not a ligament tear. I’d bet on what he was doing last year before he got hurt if I was going to gamble in FA.

  10. This is a quality pick up. Yes he broke same leg twice. But with the addition of the plate, that isn’t going to be an issue, going forward. He is not “injury prone” as some suggest. His was break from bad happenstances and he will likely play every game this coming season. He will also produce.

    Best wishes from a Seahawk fan and thanks for everything ET!

  11. baltimoresnativeson says:
    March 13, 2019 at 12:31 pm
    Single high safeties that can track the ball are harder to come by than good quarterbacks.

    Earl is still one of them.

    ———-

    Was one of them. Not so much anymore

  12. Ravens overpaid to slow the Browns roll. Hehehehe. Dorsey drove up the price on Mosley and Thomas and your new GM got his butt handed to him both times. Hehehehe.

  13. After 1 season, he will get cut again, especially if he gets injured again. On the bright side, he’ll get 22 million within the first 9 months.

  14. The Ravens aren’t giving him this kind of money unless they were satisfied his leg is okay. Earl Thomas is a ball hawk. Maybe a HOFer one day. Hope it works out.

  15. 2 year fix. Most $ up front. Ravens will rebuild next two years in draft while browns implode by 2020

  16. He comes with age and a history if fairly serious injuries. This is not a deal folks. I like Thomas but it feels like his best days are behind him. As usual, GM’s paying people based on what they’ve done rather than what they can do.

  17. He’s 29 years old. PFF has him rated the top safety in the league. His injuries have been broken bones due to his hard play. No structural injuries in his legs at all. No reason why he won’t be All-Pro at FS and leader of the best Defense in the league next year. Great move by Eric DeCosta.

  18. Earl’s leg shouldn’t be an issue. He was advised to get the road put in the first time in the collision with Kam. He didnt because he wanted a speedy recovery for the next year even knowing there was risk. That same leg broke but this time he did get the rod.

    Earl Thomas is Hall of Famer in the mold of Reed and Polamalu. His speed is still there and even when that declines his instincts are exceptional. I am not one to bash a player just because he doesn’t play for the team I cheer for

  19. Cashvibe says:
    March 13, 2019 at 12:57 pm
    Cowboys fans everywhere just had their dreams crushed…. Haha

    Not true at all.. I didnt want him here, I also would like to see D-Law traded for pics.. Cowboys were notorious for paying free agents a lot of money for things they have done in the past and ended up with highly paid/low performing older players

  20. Just when I thought DeCosta was bring a practical, common sense approach back to the GM position.

  21. Definitely still one of the better safety’s in the league when healthy but given his recent injuries and age I would be shocked if he sees the end of this contract.

  22. Hasn’t the dude been hurt a fair bit of late? Fascinating that teams are dropping a lot of $ on FAs that are recovering from injuries this year. That’s a lot of faith in the doctors and the players. Especially to give them a bunch of guarantees. Excellent player but has missed 19 games the last three years and has played 9 years. Good for him (we’ll see if good for the Ravens).

  23. It’s always amazing to read the vastly differing opinions in the comment section. Everyone is truly living their own reality

  24. Seattle would like to thank the Baltimore GM for the 3rd compensatory pick for a player that has managed to spend more time on injured reserve than playing over the past several seasons, we (Seattle GM and Coach, who seem to be pretty good at drafting and evaluating talent) deemed he wasn’t even worth another contract and made no offer.

    Desperate team, coach and GM after their talent split for other teams. Players like Earl who hit like him fall apart quickly, but good on Earl to get all that cash up front since he doesn’t seem to make it even halfway through a season!

  25. jdub036 says:
    March 13, 2019 at 12:23 pm
    An overpaid injury plagued safety will be their centerpiece on defense lol

    133 43 Rate This

    ———————

    Exactly….Meanwhile, the Pats are not so desperate and are building their team in a far superior way again.

    Baltimore overpaid an aging Thomas like an aging Weddle.

    Damage control at best.

  26. “Ravens will rebuild next two years in draft while browns implode by 2020”, seriously? The Ravens can go ahead and waste 3-4 years to find out they have a RB for a QB if they want. I don’t see how anyone that’s actually using reality instead of their bias towards their team can possibly think the Browns are headed towards tanking. Maybe stop drinking the water wherever you live.

  27. Cashvibe says:
    March 13, 2019 at 12:57 pm
    Cowboys fans everywhere just had their dreams crushed…. Haha
    ________

    You are so wrong with that statement. He wanted the Cowboys, they were never going to over pay him. The Ravens are morons, look how long it took to get rid of Flacco. They screwed themselves. Go Cowboys!

  28. Makes zero sense! If your willing to pay that much for Thomas you should`ve just franchised Mosley instead. With so many teams paying big money for safeties fewer teams are going to draft them high so i would`ve kept a 26 year old Mosley and drafted a safety over a 30 year old safety and trying to replace Mosley. Thomas WAS a great player, Mosley IS a great player and it`s easier to draft a great safety than a great LB after round 1.

  29. @bws1066 We did over pay for Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco, and it hurt the team. Glad to be out from under that contract. Those VHS tapes of the last Dallas SB win still working out for you?

  30. People claiming he’s over the hill, etc., didn’t watch the games this past year. The guy can absolutely still play at the highest level.

    The injury concern though is legit – the leg fracture this year was non-contact, which is pretty weird – so who knows how that part plays out.

    I’ve said it before on here – but as a Hawks fan any ill will based on this bummer exit – is far outweighed by the good times. ET played the game just how you want your favorites to play — all out all the time, threw his body around, and was the fastest safety I’ve ever seen.

    I know he flipped us the bird, but I forgive it, he’s an emotional dude, and that emotion is part of what made him so good. Hope he has some good years for the Ravens. And I’ll be watching when gets inducted to the HOF.

  31. No johnc44, Moseley is a great TWO down LB. Check his ability to cover and get back to us. Just like Bart Scott, the NYJ will regret that contract by the end of this season.

  32. Congratulations to all the fans of NFL teams who signed the few superstar Free Agents that were rarely available for the taking this off season. Salute your front offices for having the ability to go after their targeted players and get the deal done. If it works out or not. In a league where the off season is longer than the regular season offseason hope, excitement, and anticipation is invaluable. Salute your front offices.

  33. The defense is not that ravaged as others point out. Sizzle (My personal fav) and Weddle are kinda over the hill so it has no impact other than the leadership aspect. Someone will step in that role and ET might. Mosely is honestly not worth even Luke Keachly money forget millions more than him. Za’Darius is the one I regret letting go but he is no Von Miller or even a Doom when he signed with the Ravens. So it’s not all bad with 4 veteran departures. The secondary is darn good and thats all that matters in today’s league. Go Ravens D….again!!!

  34. Ravens have 2 very good young CB’s locked up already, add Thomas and they will have one of the better secondary in all of the NFL.

    Mosley was WAY overpaid for a 2 down LB, Suggs while he will be in HOF one day, his days are way behind him.

    Only Z Smith will hurt and so far no replacement coming.

    Thomas is one of the premier Safety’s in the NFL, perfect fit for what was the #1 D.

  35. If healthy, Earl Thomas is Baltimore’s next Ed Reed. Ok, that’s awkward for me a Steelers fan but I think that he is that good (but this predicates on being healthy).

  36. It’s kind of sad to see some of these comments. Earl gave every ounce of himself to the Seahawks and played a key role in winning one Super Bowl and reaching another. I only wish him well. Obviously, there is some risk with respect to his health, but if he stays on the field he will be a game changing force for the Ravens.

  37. They need the leadership, and even though he’s not the Boogeyman he once was, you can’t disregard Earl Thomas as a non-top ten safety at his worst. The Ravens’ defense is still in trouble though because they’re still without anyone to rush the passer. Matthew Judon (who is a solid player) is the only returning starter to my knowledge, and their best overall defenders (outside of Pierce) have walked in addition to other contributors like Brent Urban. They lost a ton of productive players in the front seven. They have several young players that will undoubtedly see a lot of action (Tim Williams, Onwuasor, Tyus Bowser, etc.) but the utter dearth of experience will make things difficult to overcome, even with a high end pass rusher in the draft. A guy like Thomas will make that easier.

  38. ak185, the Ravens lost a ‘ton’ of players? Love Sizzle, but ONE sack in the last 10 games. Weddle, stats said he had TWO passes defensed, ZERO interceptions in 17 games. Brandon Williams and Pierce are great run stuffers, still there. Would like to re-sign Urban for sure, Smith was a loss, but too expensive.

    First game is September, let’s see how it changes between now and then.

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