Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas suffered a broken leg during Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers when he collided with teammate Kam Chancellor and was ruled out of the contest, the team announced. He was carted off the field, per Jeff Darlington of ESPN. It is unclear whether not thomas will return this season, and he said the injury has him thinking about retirement.
Continue for updates.
Thomas Comments on Injury
Sunday, Dec. 4
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk noted league policy states players are not permitted to tweet during games.
Carroll Comments on Thomas' Injury, Timeline to Return
Sunday, Dec. 4
Head coach Pete Carroll told reporters Thomas is out six weeks.
Chancellor told NBC he spoke with Thomas, and Chancellor said it's obvious from their conversation that Thomas will not return this season, per Gregg Bell of the News Tribune. However, Carroll told reporters it is unclear whether or not Thomas will be out for the rest of the season.
"Earl is apt to say something that might surprise you, and he did," Carroll said regarding Thomas' Tweet about contemplating retirement, per Lindsay Jones of USA Today.
Teammates React to Thomas' Injury
Sunday, Dec. 4
"You lose one of the best safeties to ever play the game [it's] a devastating thing," Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson said, per Bell.
Regarding Thomas' tweet, teammate Richard Sherman said,"I think all of us consider retirement just about every game and when you get injured like that, a lot of stuff goes through your mind," per Stephen Cohen of Seattlepi.com.
Thomas Key Cog in Seahawks Defense
Cam Newton found Ted Ginn Jr. for a 55-yard touchdown on the play after Thomas exited.
Thomas has been a rock in Seattle's secondary since he was drafted in 2010. The three-time All-Pro never missed a start in his NFL career before 2016, playing through a dislocated shoulder that later required surgery during the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl in 2015.
Now in his seventh NFL season, Thomas has been a disruptive force of nature. He had interceptions in consecutive weeks against the New York Jets and Atlanta Falcons and has nine passes defensed.
No team in the NFL has been better at acquiring depth than the Seahawks over the last five years. The loss of Thomas would crush most defenses, but Seattle still has Richard Sherman and DeShawn Shead on the outside with Chancellor in the other safety spot.
Look for veteran Steven Terrell to handle free safety duties. The third-year backup is capable of being a fill-in for the time being.
Thomas is impossible to replace in Seattle's defense, and their organization has to be concerned about not only filling the void for the rest of this season, but potentially beyond.