Off Topic » Thomas was on the field Sunday creating problems

Earl Thomas‘ issues with the Seattle Seahawks front office aren’t going away Khari Willis Jersey , even as he continues to play like one of the best safeties in the NFL.How much longer the Seahawks are willing to put up with an unhappy star is now the big question.After a few days of uncertainty, in Seattle’s 24-13 win over the Dallas Cowboys. In what he acknowledged could end up being his last game in Seattle, Thomas had two interceptions and tied for a team high with seven tackles.“I don’t know if it was,” Thomas said, “but I had a damn good time and I’ll go out like that if I have to.”His displeasure with his situation in Seattle remains evident. Thomas’ holdout from Seattle’s offseason program and training camp didn’t result in a contract extension or a trade. He’s now banking that skipping two days of practice this past week — and then playing great Sunday — may finally force Seattle’s hand to make some sort of move, either offering him a long-term contract extension or sending him to another team that might be willing to secure his future beyond this season.“I love Seattle,” Thomas said. “My family is here. I’m hopeful these guys will call my agent and we’ll work something out. I want to be taken care of.”Since he reported on the Wednesday before the season opener, Thomas had not taken any overt actions to express his displeasure with his contract situation, a deal with Seattle that expires after this season. That changed this week when he sat out practices Wednesday and Friday without any injury designation. Seattle coach Pete Carroll said Friday that Thomas missed the practices for personal reasons and was not injury related.Thomas said Sunday he sat out because he’s “invested in myself.”“If they were invested in me, I’d be out there practicing Josh Allen Jersey , but if I feel like anything — I don’t give a damn if it’s small, I got a headache — I’m not practicing,” Thomas said.Carroll offered no explanations for the situation.“Really, I haven’t even talked to him about it other than we made it through and we talk next week,” Carroll said. “There’s nothing even to really tell you about it. I’ll let you know next week.”Thomas said he understood that decision would likely come with some financial repercussions — from the Seahawks.“They definitely gonna tax me,” Thomas said. “I’m sure I’ll have a slip in my locker.”Thomas’ absence from practice — or the lingering uncertainty about his future — didn’t seem to bother his teammates.“He keeps playing like greatness, he’s playing like he deserves one of those yellow jackets,” defensive end Frank Clark said. “At the end of the day, that’s Earl. Earl is going to do Earl. I think we all know that. Everybody is panicking and wondering where Earl is at, but I’m sure he’s getting better somewhere in his little cave or something.”Thomas’ first interception came in the first quarter after he pinned a deflected pass against his shin and kept it from hitting the turf. His second pick also came off a deflection and stopped a drive by Dallas deep in Seattle territory in the fourth quarter. After the second interception Jawaan Taylor Jersey , Thomas turned to Dallas’ sideline and bowed.Thomas has never hid his desire to one day play for the Cowboys and last year after the Seahawks won in Dallas, Thomas made the odd move of running into the Cowboys’ locker room to give a message to coach Jason Garrett: “If they kick me to the curb, come get me.”It was the second time in his career Thomas had two interceptions in a game, and the bow was a bit of a shot at Dallas for not getting a deal done.“I felt like that was just in the moment and if they were going to trade for me and extend me, they should have did it,” Thomas said of his gesture that drew a 15-yard penalty. FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP)Falcons coach Dan Quinn had good reason not to worry about Julio Jones showing up for training camp.Jones told Quinn weeks ago he’d report on time, even as the wide receiver sought to have his contract renegotiated. A training camp holdout appeared to be Jones’ best path to a new deal.Finally, the Falcons announced close to midnight on Wednesday they’d reached an agreement to renegotiate Jones’ deal next year. The news came about 16 hours before Thursday’s deadline for players to report.The Falcons open training camp on Friday.”I probably didn’t feel the same stress that you and the fan base had,” Quinn said at a news conference on Thursday. ”There were some reports regarding him not coming. I’d known he was coming to camp for a while. That’s part of good communication Josh Oliver Jersey , player to coaches.”The Falcons announced Jones reported before Thursday’s 4 p.m. deadline.Quinn said he spoke with Jones earlier this month when the receiver participated in an annual offseason passing camp in California led by quarterback Matt Ryan.”It was probably during that time that I felt comfortable he was coming to camp,” Quinn said.The reassurance from Jones was especially important after he did not participate in the Falcons’ mandatory minicamp in June.Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff were in good spirits as they discussed how they avoided the potential distraction of a training camp holdout by one of the team’s most prominent players.It has been a good week for the Falcons’ leadership team. Quinn and Dimitroff have new three-year contract extensions, which were announced on Wednesday.Jones, a two-time All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowl selection, wasn’t happy that a flurry of new contracts signed by other top NFL wide receivers moved him down the list of top-paid players at the position.He is entering the third year of his five-year, $71.5 million contract, including $47 million in guaranteed money.The Falcons managed to make Jones happy with an undisclosed financial ”adjustment” without a dramatic change to their salary cap position for 2018. Dimitroff wouldn’t reveal details of the new agreement.The biggest reward for Jones was the assurance the team will rework his contract following the season. That promise was delivered with more than a handshake.”Papers are written up, sitting on a desk waiting to be signed,” Dimitroff said.The agreement preserves Dimitroff’s flexibility in his efforts to negotiate contract extensions for defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, offensive guard Jake Matthews and safety Ricardo Allen.The Falcons already agreed to a five-year Deandre Baker Jersey , $150 million extension with quarterback Matt Ryan, the most lucrative deal in NFL history, this offseason.Ryan’s contract and talks with players moving closer to free agency left little financial space to make big changes to Jones’ deal before 2019.”We felt like we came to a good agreement,” Dimitroff said. ”We were very creative with how we put this together.”Dimitroff said talks with Jones’ agent, Jimmy Sexton, were ”never contentious at all, at least from our perspective.”Jones is expected to talk with reporters on Friday, when the Falcons have their first practice of training camp. He was not seen during the 30-minute period reporters were able to view players reporting to the team’s practice facility.Jones’ teammates seemed to have little concern about the status of the team’s top receiver.”Oh, I don’t know what’s going on with him,” offensive guard Andy Levitre said when asked about the team’s agreement with Jones. ”He’s coming? I’m expecting everybody to be here http://www.newyorkgiantsteamonline.com/oshane-ximines-jersey , I guess.”Added cornerback Brian Poole: ”That’s exciting. That’s definitely exciting. Yeah. That’s exciting.”Poole said players don’t get involved in teammates’ contract talks.”When it comes to that kind of stuff, everybody kind of worries about himself,” Poole said.But when it comes to Quinn and Dimitroff, having one of the league’s top receivers on the practice field is crucial to the team’s hopes for a third straight playoff appearance.”I sleep a hell of a lot better at night,” Quinn said.—