Ravens saved the Chiefs from the distraction of Earl Thomas

It looks like the Ravens saved the Chiefs from the distraction of Earl Thomas.

On Friday, the Baltimore Ravens reportedly sent safety Earl Thomas home after he got into a fight with his teammate Chuck Clark. What’s even more surprising is that it’s just the latest in a series of ongoing frustrations with Thomas that has the team thinking of getting rid of him outright.

It’s rare to see players come together against one of their own, but Thomas hasn’t exactly worked hard to ingratiate himself with teammates in the past. Thomas was a problematic teammate in Seattle, but as a seven-time Pro Bowler, coaches will put up with a lot for the sake of winning.

What makes this very interesting for those in Chiefs Kingdom is to remember just how close the Chiefs were to importing Thomas over the last two years.

Back in 2018 the Seahawks were looking to trade Thomas before the deadline and the Chiefs were rumored to be interested as a suitor. At the time, the Chiefs were in the last year under Bob Sutton’s leadership and the safety position was a train wreck with Eric Berry‘s inability to return to the field and an aging Ron Parker.

During the following offseason, the Ravens ended up signing Thomas to a big money contract in free agency—to the tune of four years worth up to $55 million. The move not only added to one of the NFL’s best defenses, but it also kept him from landing with—wait for it—the Chiefs.

Rumors came out that Thomas was close to a deal with the Chiefs, and the safety himself supported that idea with his recollection on the signing process.

"“I thought I was gonna go to Kansas City on, like, a two-year deal, one-year deal. I was just gonna better myself and hit the market again. Then my agents called me, David Mulugheta and Andrew Kessler. I talked to them on the phone and they said, ‘Baltimore has a mega-deal for you.” I said, “Hell yeah! That’s where I’m going.’”"

In the end, the Chiefs drafted Juan Thornhill in the second round of the 2019 draft and paired him with free agent signing Tyrann Mathieu in a remade secondary that went on to win a Super Bowl. Thomas would have been talented, for sure, but this Chiefs roster has a special chemistry with every reason to believe they can defend their title once again.

As for the Ravens, it will be interesting to see whether they get rid of Thomas and how they can work around his contract. Either way, the Chiefs should be glad they avoided signing such a mercurial player, no matter how talented he is.