How the Kansas City Chiefs could potentially afford Earl Thomas
By Matt Conner
The finances will make it a near impossibility, but we put together a potential trade idea for the Chiefs to acquire star safety Earl Thomas.
It’s a near impossibility to make this money work.
Both in the present and the future, the Kansas City Chiefs simply lack the financial room to be able to make a trade for a veteran player available now like Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas. That’s frustrating since Thomas is making it easier and easier for Seattle to move their star safety.
On Tuesday, Thomas posted the following on Instagram:
It was the latest push from Thomas to get out of Seattle, knowing the team is unlikely to sign him to an extension. Thomas is seeking some financial security heading into a contract year, and is apparently not too interested in betting on himself without a net.
The Seahawks haven’t wavered from their position thus far. They’ve offered no extension to the 29-year-old safety but they’ve also not capitulated to his trade demands. They could certainly use Thomas in the secondary after watching Kam Chancellor retire and trading away Richard Sherman. But Thomas clearly doesn’t want to be a one-year bridge, nor does he want to simply help them rebuild and then leave in free agency.
Two seasons ago, Thomas broke his tibia and ended the year on injured reserve. He even hinted at retirement in the process. Last year, he returned for another fine season with 88 total tackles and 2 interceptions in 14 starts, carrying a tremendous defensive load on a team that had suffered through so many injuries.
The Seahawks seem determined to move on from Thomas after the next year unless a team will offer up the sort of trade return in the present to make it work. So let’s break this down from the Chiefs perspective, from why we’re even thinking about this deal to how the finances seem stacked against it.