Earl Thomas wants new Seahawks contract, willing to hold out for it
— -- LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. --? Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas is confident that he and the team can agree to another contract extension, but if not, he is contemplating holding out.
"I want to finish my career there," Thomas told ESPN after Thursday's Pro Bowl practice at ESPN's Wide World of Sports Complex. "I definitely don't see myself going out there not signed. But I'm going to continue to work my butt off and enjoy this process at the Pro Bowl.
"As far as my future in Seattle, I think if they want me, you know, money talks. We'll get something accomplished. Other than that, I'm just taking it one day at a time."
He said he has not been told by his agent of any discussions with the Seahawks about an extension.
Thomas is entering the final year of a four-year, $40 million extension he signed after the 2013 season that made him the highest-paid safety in the NFL. The deal included $25.7 million guaranteed, and he is due to make $8.5 million in 2018.
He said last offseason that Eric Berry's six-year, $78 million deal that included $40 million guaranteed was among the factors that helped him decide he wanted to continue playing after contemplating retirement once he broke his leg in December 2016.
The Seahawks, under their current regime, have tended to extend players either entering or in the final year on their contracts but not before then. Seattle could opt to let him play out his deal and then assess the situation, though that could open the door for a holdout.
Thomas turned heads in December when he approached coach Jason Garrett after the Seahawks' 21-12 victory over the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium and urged Garrett to acquire him if he were to become available. Cameras showed Thomas running after Garrett and telling him, "If y'all got the chance to come get me, come get me!"
The safety later confirmed what he told Garrett but clarified that he didn't necessarily mean any time soon. Thomas, who turns 29 in May, grew up in Orange, Texas, and has talked in the past about how much it means to him to play against the team he rooted for as a child.
Thomas just finished his eighth NFL season and is playing in his sixth Pro Bowl. He is a three-time All-Pro and has 25 interceptions and five fumble recoveries since the Seahawks drafted him 14th overall out of Texas in 2010.
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