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Raiders should not pursue Earl Thomas

Veteran safety not a great overall fit for Jon Gruden’s team at this point 

By Bill Williamson
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Seattle Seahawks v Oakland Raiders
Earl Thomas
Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

It’s not often a potential Pro Football Hall of Famer becomes available three weeks before the start of the season, but that is the case with safety Earl Thomas.

Thomas was released by the Baltimore Ravens over the weekend after fighting with teammate Chuck Clark in training camp.

Thomas is free to sign elsewhere but I thankfully haven’t see many connections to the Las Vegas Raiders by those in the NFL circles. The most popular Thomas options seem to be the Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots and the San Francisco 49ers.

In my opinion, Thomas shouldn’t be connected to the Raiders because I don’t think he’s a good fit at this time.

You know me, I’m all for the pursuit of good players and yes, I was all in on the Raiders making a trade pursuit of safety Jamal Adams — who the New York Jets ended up trading to the Seattle Seahawks for a ridiculously high price.

Yet, every available player’s situation is different. Just because a player is excellent, that doesn’t necessarily mean it would be smart for the Raiders to make a push.

Baltimore Ravens Training Camp
Earl Thomas
Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Thomas falls into this category. He is 31 — not 24 like Adams. Thomas has had injuries and he has had some off-field issues.

The Raiders are a young, impressionable team. I’m not sure they need a leader of the defense who just got kicked off another team for fighting. Also, while Thomas would upgrade the roster, the Raiders aren’t in desperate need at safety. Again, you add a guy like Adams if you can, but there are red flags on Thomas and it just wouldn’t be worth it for the Raiders at this point.

Oakland Raiders v Arizona Cardinals
Antonio Brown back when he was a Raider
Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

I don’t think Thomas (or anyone for that matter) would be as awful as Antonio Brown was with the Raiders, but I just don’t think it’s the right road for this team to take at the moment.

Also, they only have $4 million in salary cap room and Thomas will likely want a decent deal.

So, while every available player is worth considering, there just aren’t enough incentive for the Raiders to pursue Thomas.

What are your thoughts on the matter? Would you like to see the Raiders make a run at Thomas or not?

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