Earl Thomas says he's 'caught in between' retiring or returning

SEATTLE – The Seattle Seahawks might need to get used to playing without Earl Thomas.

The Seahawks’ safety, who broke his leg in a victory over the Carolina Panthers, told the NFL Network’s Rich Eisen on Tuesday that he is still contemplating retirement.

“I’m kinda enjoying just waking up in the mornings without the pressure,” Thomas said during a phone call to Eisen’s radio show. “Peace is starting to return to me, and I think that’s my ultimate goal in life – I just want to have peace.”

Before the Carolina game was even over, Thomas scared the heck out of Seahawks fans by tweeting out that he was considering retirement.



“Emotions were taking over me, but I was still thinking like clearly in my eyes,” Thomas said Tuesday. “And like I said, I still kind of feel the same way.”

Thomas said his down time has made him realize the impact football has on his life, in particular his relationships with his wife, his mother and his 4-year-old daughter.

“It’s a lot of pressure when you play this game,” he said. “I play it at a high level, and my teammates expect me to do what I do.

“It’s all about recommitting myself, and I don’t know. I never want to step on the field half-heartedly.”

Still, Thomas left the door open to return next season. He said watching the Seahawks play from his couch has been tough.

“Just seeing us in those lime-green jerseys (on Sunday), and you could hear the music in the background,” he said. “I was just saying to myself, I wish I was out there with them.

"When you’re playing in CenturyLink especially, man, the energy is flowing, the crowd’s behind you. Just watching it on the TV screen, I could feel it.”

Thomas said he returned to the VMAC and it awoke his desire to play.

“My competitive juices came right back,” he said. “So I don’t know man, I’m kind of caught in between right now.”