Earl Thomas Announces Contract Holdout, Wants to Retire with Seahawks

Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas issued a statement Sunday to confirm he will hold out until his "contract situation is resolved."

Thomas added that he hopes to retire as a member of the Seahawks: 

Thomas, 29, is entering the final year of his contract. Without a new deal, he will make $10.4 million in 2018 before he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

In March, Thomas spoke to Irish radio show Off The Ball (via ESPN.com's Brady Henderson) and expressed uncertainty regarding his future in the Pacific Northwest.

"Hopefully I stay, but right now, nobody knows," Thomas said. "It's a guessing game, so we'll see.

"In my case, whether I'm in Seattle or anywhere else, I'm going to be rich and happy regardless," Thomas added. "So it's a cut-throat league, but if you're at the top of your game and you don't give them any reasons to devalue, you're good. That's just how I look at it."

Thomas also stirred speculation that he could eventually land with the Dallas Cowboys when he told Jason Garrett to "come get me" following a game last December.

"I've always been a Cowboys fan growing up. The biggest thing when I said 'come get me,' I didn't literally mean, 'come get me now,'" Thomas said, per NFL.com's Jeremy Bergman. "I'm still in the prime of my career, I still want to be here.

"But when Seattle kicks me to the curb, please, the Cowboys, come get me. You know? This is the place where I want to be when they kick me to the curb. So that's what I meant by. People take me too serious. That's just who I am."

A six-time Pro Bowler, Thomas finished last season with 88 total tackles, six pass breakups, two interceptions and a forced fumble.