Safety Tedric Thompson has signed with the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Kansas City Chiefs have signed safety Tedric Thompson to a one-year deal as training camp is set to begin.
Thompson first entered the league with the Seattle Seahawks when general manager John Schneider made him the team’s fourth round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. Thompson was part of an exciting secondary in Colorado, one that also saw Chidobe Awuzie (Dallas Cowboys) and Ahkello Witherspoon (San Francisco 49ers) drafted in front of him.
Earlier this offseason, it was clear that Thompson was on the outs in Seattle as he headed into the final season of his rookie deal:
Seattle #Seahawks starting free safety Tedric Thompson has been given permission to seek a trade, source said. Would likely be for a late-round draft pick.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 18, 2020
When a trade failed to surface, the team set Thompson free after three full seasons. Thompson would play in 29 total games for the Seahawks in those three seasons, but he became a starter at free safety into his second year. He finished his tenure in Seattle with 80 tackles, 5 pass breakups, and 3 interceptions.
The free safety unfortunately ended his tenure with a season-ending shoulder injury, so any comeback with the Chiefs will largely come down to how he’s recovered from labrum surgery. Thompson’s inconsistency in coverage isn’t going to earn him a spot starting with the Chiefs, but he’s a potentially valuable addition in case anything is wrong with Juan Thornhill as he also returns from injury.
As for the Seahawks, Thompson and others have been deemed expendable after the team invested heavily in a complete overhaul. Not only did they trade for Quandre Diggs in the middle of the 2019 season, but they also just dealt two first round picks and more for Jamal Adams of the New York Jets.