The Atlanta Falcons will not trade for Earl Thomas so settle down

It’s the offseason, and lets be honest, not much is happening. Outside of Julio Jones and his contract situation, there’s no news. We have had a few of the standard offseason comments, like Steve Sarkisian saying how much better this season is going to be. All the good players have been signed.

We are just waiting for something important to happen in football. Like the league’s best safety demanding a trade. Thanks to his time with Dan Quinn, Earl Thomas is getting hyped up as a potential Falcons trade parter.

Thomas just watched a number of veteran players cut or traded away this offseason, like Richard Sherman, Cliff Avril, Kam Chancellor, and Michael Bennett. Some were considered a headache, and some players are forced out of the league due to injury.

Thomas obviously wants to protect himself, and thinks he should receive a pay bump. The Seattle Seahawks, undergoing a major coaching and roster change, have not been eager to toss him more cash. He’s in the last year of his contract, and is definitely underpaid at $10 million per year average.

Will the Falcons make that trade? I will emphatically tell you there is just no way that happens.

First, the Falcons already have one of the league’s best safeties in Ricardo Allen, and he’s three years younger than Thomas.

Second, the Falcons are already strapped for cap space. Julio Jones wants more money, and the young trio of Grady Jarrett, Jake Matthews, and the previously mentioned Allen need to get paid. It’s likely one of those will end up on another team next year. If the team trades for Thomas and bumps his pay up from his $10 million per year average, you will likely see two-thirds of that trio leave after this season.

Third, if Thomas Dimitroff does make a trade (which is almost guaranteed because that man loves trades), it should be a cheap player at a position of need. Find me a defensive tackle still on their rookie deal, and not an aging safety looking for a pay bump.

Let Thomas go to a team with cap space and a gaping hole at free safety. The Falcons should be sticking with Ricardo Allen.