Report: Texans Passed on Earl Thomas After Players 'Expressed Their Displeasure'

The Houston Texans chose not to sign free-agent safety Earl Thomas after "numerous Texans players expressed their displeasure about bringing Thomas into their locker room," according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports.

Thomas was released by the Baltimore Ravens in August after an altercation with teammate Chuck Clark at practice.

This was considered the final straw for the team after he reportedly came late to meetings, blew off practices and had other confrontations with teammates, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic.

When the Texans played the Ravens in Week 2 this season, players from the two teams reportedly discussed Thomas and his character during pregame warm-ups.

Thomas has remained unsigned since his release from Baltimore, and Houston was set to bring him in for a workout this past week. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported at the time it was "more likely than not" he would sign with the Texans.

Houston then canceled the workout, with head coach Bill O'Brien announcing it was because of COVID-19-related reasons.

"Earl Thomas is a hell of a player; he's had a great career," O'Brien said, per Nick Shook of NFL.com. "Again, we had a bunch of guys in, and we decided to cancel. You know, we'll see how it goes moving forward, but that's really what it was. It's not anything other than that. Got a lot of respect for Earl."

It now appears the decision was perhaps character-related, with players feeling the team chemistry was more important than what he could provide on the field.

Thomas, 31, is a seven-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro. He was a key part of the Seattle Seahawks' Super Bowl title team in 2013 and continued to make an impact in Baltimore, being selected to the Pro Bowl last season after anchoring a defense that ranked third in points allowed.

Houston, which ranks 28th in points allowed, could have especially used him after an 0-3 start this season.