Ravens terminate contract of Thomas after fight
The Baltimore Ravens have terminated the contract of seven-time Pro Bowl safety Earl Thomas, who got involved in a fight with a teammate Friday and did not attend practice Saturday.
According to a statement released Sunday by the team, Thomas was released “for personal conduct that adversely affected the Baltimore Ravens.”
The action steams from Thomas’ fray with defensive back Chuck Clark at practice after Thomas admittedly blew a coverage assignment. Although the Ravens don’t have someone else with his talent at free safety, keeping Thomas would have created the potential for poor chemistry on a team with aspirations of playing in the Super Bowl.
If Thomas was released outright, Baltimore would have taken a $15 million salary-cap hit this year and $10 million in 2021. By voiding his $10 million guaranteed salary for conduct detrimental to the team, he will count $5 million against the cap this season and $10 million next year.
Thomas posted an explanation for his behavior Friday on his Instagram account, but subsequently deleted it. The post said: “A mental error on my part .. A Busted coverage that I tried to explain calmly meet with built up aggression turned into me getting into with a teammate.”
He also wrote, “Being sent home sucks.”
Now, Thomas will have to stay at home until another team comes calling. The Dallas Cowboys are among those clubs rumored to be interested in the 31-year-old, who played nine seasons in Seattle before joining the Ravens in 2019.
Cardinals ink former Bengal Kirkpatrick
The Arizona Cardinals have signed veteran cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick to boost their secondary after a season-ending injury to Robert Alford.
Kirkpatrick agreed to a one-year deal. The 30-yearold spent the first eight seasons of his career with the Cincinnati Bengals and was a starter during the last five. He’s played in 99 games, including 67 starts and has 10 career interceptions.