Report: Ravens set to release or trade Earl Thomas III

It appears that Earl Thomas’ time in Baltimore is quickly coming to a close.

After a swirl of speculation and drama this weekend surrounding Thomas’ standing with the organization, ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Sunday morning that the Ravens are planning on moving on from Thomas.

This situation has evolved quite rapidly since Friday afternoon, when Thomas reportedly got into a physical altercation with teammate Chuck Clark at practice. Tempers flared between the two after an apparent blown coverage in the secondary resulted in an offensive touchdown.

Thomas was sent home and was absent from practice yesterday, sparking further rumors and speculation that the team’s “Leadership Council” no longer wanted Thomas around.

Thomas added more fuel to the fire yesterday afternoon through a series of posts and story uploads on Instagram, including an upload showing the footage of the play that prompted the flare up between him and Clark. Thomas deleted the video a short time after posting it.

This is not the first time that Thomas has been in the headlines since signing with with Ravens last offseason.

Thomas reportedly was absent and/or late to a handful of team position meetings during the 2019 season and got into a verbal altercation with DT Brandon Williams after the Ravens’ 15-point loss to the Browns in Week 3. Additionally, Thomas dominated the national news cycle a few months ago after a story broke detailing a domestic violence situation.

Evidently, this weekend’s events were a tipping point for the Ravens, who will now look to either trade or release Thomas — possibly as early as this afternoon. HC John Harbaugh is expected to address the media later today after practice and will surely provide more concrete details on the matter.

The Ravens signed Thomas to a four-year, $55 million contract last year with $32 million guranteed — the most money they’ve ever paid a defensive free agent. Thomas started 15 games for the Ravens last season, posting a stat line of 49 combined tackles, two sacks, two interceptions and six QB hits.

He was one of several Ravens players to earn a Pro Bowl selection in 2019, the seventh of his career. Among the teams reportedly interested in Thomas’ services are the Cowboys, 49ers, and Texans.

Stay tuned for further updates on this developing story here on Baltimore Beatdown.

UPDATE: Ravens have announced they are terminating Thomas’ contract.