Earl Thomas still wants a new deal, and the Seahawks free safety set out to prove he deserves to remain among the highest-paid players at his position.
Thomas, who said he played 65 snaps despite practicing only for a week, made five tackles, an interception and two pass breakups in Seattle’s loss to the Broncos.
“I felt good,” Thomas said, via Curtis Crabtree of Sports Radio KJR and PFT. “I felt like my training with my brother and my team back home [in Texas] has been great, has been right on it. The only thing right now is my big toe hurts. My feet hurt. That’s about it.”
Thomas, 29, had not talked to the media since returning. He posted on social media his reasons for returning and noted what he termed the Seahawks’ “disrespect.”
Thomas had asked the Seahawks to give him a new contract or trade him. He would have lost $500,000 per week for every week he held out.
“I talked to my agent,” Thomas said. “We understood that I had a lot of money on the line. I just couldn’t throw it away. So basically I decided to come back. I’m glad I did.”
Thomas said he wants to remain with Seattle “if they want me.”
He becomes a free agent in the offseason.