Earl Thomas Expected To Sign 4-Year Deal With The Baltimore Ravens

SEATTLE, WA – NOVEMBER 07: Free safety Earl Thomas #29 of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates after helping break up a touchdown play in the final moments against the Buffalo Bills at CenturyLink Field on November 7, 2016 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

After losing multiple defenders this offseason, the Baltimore Ravens made a splash signing.

Safety Earl Thomas will sign a four-year, $55 million contract with the Ravens, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported, per a source informed of the deal. ESPN first reported the pact.

The contract includes $32 million guaranteed and averages $14.33 million over the first three years, per Rapoport.

Thomas sat as the highest player left on NFL.com’s Top 101 free agents list heading into the new league year, which opens at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

Yeaaaaaaaa !! ???

— Earl Thomas (@Earl_Thomas) March 13, 2019

Turning 30 in May, Thomas was looking for a big payday on the open market, and the Ravens backed up the truck. The $13.75 million per year average over the course of the deal for Thomas comes in just behind the contracts agreed to by Landon Collins (Washington Redskins) and Tyrann Mathieu (Kansas City Chiefs) this week, both of whom will sign deals worth $14 million per season. The trio all outdistanced Eric Berry’s deal of $13 million per season, which had sat atop the safety market.

Despite playing just four games in 2018 before suffering a broken leg, Thomas earned his new big salary.

The NFL’s premiere center-fielder, Thomas is a complete game-changer on the back end of a defense, with ball-hawking skills and a penchant for big plays. Since being drafted by the Seahawks in the first round of the 2010 draft, Thomas has compiled 664 tackles, 28 interceptions, 68 passes defended and countless highlight-reel plays.

Thomas is only player in the NFL with 25-plus INTs and 10-plus forced fumbles since 2010, per NFL Research.

Thank you Seattle for the love and memories that my family and I will never forget… ❤️☔️

— Earl Thomas (@Earl_Thomas) March 13, 2019

Source: NFL.com