Las Vegas Raiders need to give Safety Earl Thomas a call
Las Vegas Raiders need to give Safety Earl Thomas a call
Would Earl Thomas come to Las Vegas?
Earl Thomas was scheduled to make $10 million guaranteed from Baltimore this season and as mentioned in several news outlets, they will likely file a grievance to recoup some of that money but that is their problem. The upside for the Raiders here is that is Thomas is still getting paid by the Ravens he may agree to sign for a lesser contract to join a team that appeals to him but may not be able to meet his contract demands.
The team most often linked to Thomas has been the Dallas Cowboys thanks to his Texas roots and his apparent plea to the team to sign him in 2017. Dallas may be sniffing around him after a disappointing loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1 but as of now he is still a free agent and should be accepting all calls.
If Thomas were to come to Las Vegas he has a chance to rehabilitate his image by taking on a leadership role with a young team and be a star on a team that is hungry for one on the defensive side of the ball. The Raiders have a brand new stadium, top notch facilities, and Nevada offers the same lack of state income tax that Texas does.
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The final piece is that as a vested veteran, if the Raiders had signed Thomas before Week 1 his salary would have been fully guaranteed. Now if he signs with Las Vegas or anyone else, they can release him with no penalty if he causes disruption in the locker room or just doesn’t play well. Signing Thomas would be a coup for Gruden and Mayock and needs to happen for the Raiders defense to take another leap.