Not long after Earl Thomas was cut by the Baltimore Ravens, Deshaun Watson talked about how much he liked the defensive back. Just as rumors of where the seven-time Pro Bowler might land heat up, Nick Kosko of 247Sports wrote on Sunday that Watson posted a tweet praising the former Ravens star.
“Surprised the Ravens released my guy Earl Thomas,” Watson reportedly tweeted. “Hearing all the noise but Earl’s always been someone I can rely on when I had questions and I have nothing but respect for him. Can’t wait to see where he lands.”
Kosko said Watson’s tweet appeared to be the Houston Texans’ quarterback courting the new free agent. When the defender was released on Sunday, NFL insider Ian Rapoport made it clear there were several teams who were interested in the player.
The Texans were one of those franchises likely to have an interest. The Dallas Cowboys, according to Rapoport, currently have the inside track. Kosko noted that during Sunday’s edition of Inside Training Camp Live , LaDainian Tomlinson echoed other reports claiming the ‘Boys were the front-runners.
Tomlinson thought there might be another franchise the Pro Bowler would prefer to go to.
“As a player sometimes, you want to get back at your former club. You want to get back at the team that drafted you,” the analyst said. “Meaning the Seattle Seahawks. So who’s in that division that he could possibly go to? I think San Francisco can use a safety.”
He went on to say he also thought the Arizona Cardinals would be happy to have the defensive back. He said that any team that was in the NFC West should be making a call because they might be able to get a deal based just on a desire for revenge.
While he spent 2019 with Baltimore, Thomas played most of his career with the Seahawks. The parting between the two sides was reportedly not an amicable one, adding ammunition to the talk about his wanting revenge against his former mates.
While Watson was seemingly making a kind of pitch to the recent free agent, analysts around the league aren’t sure whether his club will really get into the sweepstakes. The defensive back’s issue with a teammate this past weekend might have some clubs thinking twice about pursuing him.
Analysts around the league have said that whoever signs the safety will likely need to move quickly considering the market for his services.