Thomas reports; Bell remains absent

Seahawks safety Earl Thomas ended his lengthy holdout in time for the start of the regular season, even without the long-term contract he was seeking.

Thomas showed up at the Seahawks facility Wednesday and was welcomed back by his teammates. Coach Pete Carroll said he met briefly with Thomas, but wouldn’t commit to whether Thomas would play in the opener Sunday against Denver.

“He’s been with us for so long. He’s just been part of the fabric of what we’ve been about,” Carroll said. “It’s an adjustment period as he jumps in with us right now and we’ll figure out how that works ... but it’s great to have him back.”

Thomas posted to Instagram announcing his return, saying he’s never let his “teammates, city or fans down as long as I have lived and don’t plan to start this weekend.”

Thomas held out from Seattle’s entire offseason program, mandatory minicamp and training camp. He has sought certainty over his long-term future and used social media to make his case during the offseason. By reporting, Thomas won’t miss any game checks — $500,000 per game — and he shores up a defense that saw several of its more prominent players depart.

Steelers: All-Pro running back Le’Veon Bell remained absent from the team, meaning he will almost certainly not be available when the Steelers open the season in Cleveland on Sunday. And while Bell’s agent took to the airwaves to vaguely explain Bell’s reasoning for refusing to sign his franchise tender, some of his teammates for the past five years are starting to run out of patience. “Honestly it’s a little selfish,” said center Maurkice Pouncey, a captain who had predicted Bell would arrive by Wednesday. “I’m kind of (ticked) right now.”