Earl Thomas trade rumors: Cowboys coaches ask safety about deal

Earl Thomas said multiple Dallas coaches approached him saying he should expect a trade on Monday to the Cowboys.

At this point, there are two teams reportedly in on a potential trade for Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas: a favorite and an underdog.

The Kansas City Chiefs have to be considered the underdog, a newly mentioned franchise mentioned on Sunday by Chris Mortensen of ESPN who noted that they have “emerged as a candidate” in any Thomas trade talks.

The favorites at this point are the same favorites who have been around for quite some time: the Dallas Cowboys. Jerry Jones team has been linked to Watson for several months at this point, somehow unable to find a middle ground that works for both sides. The Seahawks reportedly want more than a second round pick and, so far, Dallas has obviously scoffed.

On Sunday, the Chiefs link was an interesting wrinkle to add to the mix, although it’s a likely leak that works in the player’s favor. Certainly it makes sense to get another franchise in so the Cowboys could potentially get over whatever hesitation they might have to trade for the safety. Then again, if the Chiefs are potentially interested, then the bidding becomes interesting—an exercise in public rumors and private realities that could complicate any negotiations.

On Sunday, Thomas clarified things a bit that gave more intensity to Dallas’s side of the coin. Apparently multiple Cowboys coaches came up to Thomas and insinuated a trade was ready to go down on Monday:

"“…People were coming up to me and saying the trade might happen. Even pregame, a couple of the Cowboys coaches — I don’t know if they were trying to play psychological games — but they were like, “You ready for the trade tomorrow?”"

Thomas himself reveals the double-sided nature of those words, which means it’s impossible to know how much substance is in that loaded question. That said, waiting on Monday has been a possibility all along because the Seahawks and Cowboys played each other on Sunday and Seattle reportedly wanted to avoid playing against Thomas.

Right now, it looks as if Thomas will be on the move given how much smoke is in the room right now, although given that Thomas had two interceptions on Sunday to help Pete Carroll’s team get its first win could change that attitude. Perhaps the team will wait until the trade deadline to gain better understanding of their potential in 2018. If so, the cost will have to drop significantly on Thomas knowing that he’s a half-season rental unless they can extend him.

As for the Chiefs interest, it’s hard to say. Peter Schrager added that the interest has been there since August but he’s also not sure how active talks have been since the season began. The Chiefs have to feel good about their place in the standings, but after three games, it’s also clear the pass defense could use some significant help. Whether that comes from adding players from injury, a la Eric Berry or Dan Sorensen, or via trade is up for debate, and it likely boils down to the real cost for Thomas in a trade scenario.

Thomas has 28 career interceptions and 68 passes defended in his celebrated NFL career. He’s made 6 Pro Bowl appearances and is a three-time first-team All Pro.