Earl Thomas trade rumors: Kansas City Chiefs emerge as suitors

The Kansas City Chiefs have reportedly emerged as serious suitors in the trade sweepstakes for safety Earl Thomas.

The Seattle Seahawks are reportedly still open to trading starting safety Earl Thomas even after he’s reported back to the team, and Chris Mortensen, NFL analyst for ESPN, is reporting that the Kansas City Chiefs have “emerged as a candidate” in a possible trade for the Pro Bowl defender.

It’s important to note that this is the first time the Chiefs have been officially mentioned in any deal for Thomas and that Mortensen’s entire report largely centers on the Dallas Cowboys, the team who has been tied to Thomas for quite some time throughout the offseason and even into the regular season. Mortensen notes that the Seahawks did not want to deal Thomas until after they played the Cowboys, which happens this week, so a deal between the two could be completed in short order.

That said, Thomas would represent a potential major upgrade to the Chiefs, and if Brett Veach and the rest of Chiefs Kingdom were interested in going all-in this season, it’s hard to imagine a single upgrade bigger than adding a Pro Bowl performer to a position that is perilously thin due to lack of overall talent and injuries.

The Chiefs have been dealing with the absence of Eric Berry since Week 1 of last season. Despite reports he could return in the next week or so, Berry’s sore heel has kept him from being able to join practice as of yet. Even further along the timeline is the loss of Daniel Sorensen, a player slated to start alongside Berry earlier this preseason when the team released longtime starting free safety Ron Parker. Sorensen broke his tibia along with other injuries in the preseason and will be out at least until midseason. Even then his ability to return to form will be unknown.

Parker has been re-signed and the team has leaned on Eric Murray while Berry remains out. Thomas is a versatile product who could likely play either safety position and be an upgrade, at least until Berry returns to his post.

At this point, the main question is about cost. The Chiefs have three picks in the first two rounds for next draft and it’s important in many ways for Brett Veach to continue to add young impact talent for cheap to free up players to receive extensions—especially developing guys like Chris Jones, Kendall Fuller, etc. The Seahawks reportedly want more than just a second round pick for Thomas, so we shall see if someone is willing to pay that price, or if the cost comes down as the season goes on.

For now fans will be thrilled to know that the team is interested in making a run given just how potent this offense looks.