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Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas continues to hold out in hopes of a new contract Deion Sanders Jersey , and he took to The Players' Tribune and offered the team an ultimatum: Either trade him, or extend him.In the piece, Thomas detailed that it's crucial for an organization "take care of you if you get hurt," which is why he's holding out in hopes of landing a bigger contract. Thomas then made his ultimatum clear and to the point."And it鈥檚 the reason why I鈥檓 asking the Seahawks to do one of two things: Offer me an extension," Thomas said. "Or trade me to a team that wants me to be part of their future."Thomas is set to make just $8.5 million in 2018, per Spotrac.com. He's then slated to hit the free agent market, unless Seattle wants to extend him. But according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, NFL executives are expecting Thomas to get traded.Seahawks鈥?S Earl Thomas reiterates this morning on @PlayersTribune: 鈥淚鈥檓 asking the Seahawks to do one of two things: Offer me an extension. Or trade me to a team that wants me to be part of their future.鈥?NFL execs believe he鈥檒l ultimately be traded.— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 2, 2018The Dallas Cowboys have been linked aplenty to Thomas Aaron Rodgers Jersey Elite , and they undoubtedly need an upgrade in the secondary. But Thomas will surely seek an extension with his new team, and it remains to be seen if the cap-strapped Cowboys would be able to give him聽one.The Seahawks underwent massive changes on the defensive side of the ball this offseason, releasing cornerbacks Richard Sherman and Jeremy Lane, while trading away pass-rushing star Michael Bennett. On top of that, star safety Kam Chancellor announced his intentions to retire due to a nagging neck injury. With Sherman and Chancellor gone, Thomas is the last remaining member from the Seahawks 'Legion of Boom' era. With too many injuries and the core players ageing, Seattle GM John Schneider decided it was time to rebuild and get younger.Keeping Thomas obviously makes Seattle's defense that much better, but there aren't any signs at this time that they're ready to hand him a long-term deal. Hence, we shouldn't be surprised if he gets traded in the coming weeks. Matthew Stafford has a lot of numbers on his side Tony Romo Cowboys Jersey , supporting the case the Detroit Lions drafted the right guy No. 1 overall in 2009 and were wise to give him a $135 million, five-year extension last summer.

The strong-armed quarterback has completed 62 percent of his passes over his career for nearly 35,000 yards with 216 touchdowns. After injuries stunted the start of his career, he has started every game for seven straight seasons.

But he hasn’t been able to change Detroit’s number of postseason victories since the franchise won the 1957 NFL title.

Stafford has helped the Lions reach the playoffs three times, losing a wild-card game each time to leave them stuck on one postseason victory in six-plus decades.

He knows that fact as well as anyone in the Motor City and yet he insisted that doesn’t get him down.

”There’s that mindset to go out there and work to prove people wrong and all that kind of stuff,” Stafford said Thursday after reporting for training camp. ”I just want to prove myself right.”

Stafford will begin his 10th training camp on Friday morning, aiming to help Detroit avoid having just another mediocre season in Matt Patricia’s debut as an NFL head coach.

The Lions won nine games the previous two years and coach Jim Caldwell lost his job after the team didn’t return to the playoffs last season.

Stafford seems set up for success on offense, working with a familiar offensive coordinator, Jim Bob Cooter Walter Payton Jersey , and throwing to returning veteran receivers Golden Tate and Marvin Jones.

More importantly, the team has invested in improving the running game through free agency and the draft by bolstering the offensive line and backfield.

The Lions have been among the NFL’s worst rushing teams in recent years, allowing opponents to sack Stafford an average of 43 times over the past four seasons.

Despite the slew of sacks and even more hits, some of which have led to injuries, Stafford has been able to stay on the field.

”When I came into this league, I was 21 years old and I felt pretty good most days,” Stafford said. ”I’m 30 now. I don’t feel bad, but it’s different. A little bit of a new normal.

”I feel as good as I’ve felt coming into a camp in a long time. I feel really healthy and ready to go.”

Stafford could potentially be entering the prime of his career.

”Quarterbacks in this league really develop pretty well at this sort of age range,” Cooter said. ”He’s getting better at different things. Every year we have different sort of points of emphasis. It could be throwing a certain pass Evander Kane Sharks Jersey , it could be pocket movement or it could be something with his feet.

”It’s a big camp for him too, right? There are a lot of different things around here. This is not the exact same system or exact same camp as last year’s camp.”

Stafford has become savvy with the media over the years, answering questions without saying anything controversial.

He doesn’t make bold predictions and rarely goes out on a limb on any topic.

The husband and father of two young girls seems to strike a life-work balance, but his competitive streak can be heard at times when he hears doubters.

”Nobody’s got higher expectations than we do in our locker room,” Stafford said. ”We hold each other accountable to being a really good football team and doing things the right way all the time. All that outside stuff doesn’t get to us. We really don’t talk about it. Don’t hear it.”

NOTES: The Lions signed DT Ricky Jean Francois and LB Darnell Sankey. They released LB Al-Rasheed Benton and OL Beau Nunn. … Detroit put LB Devon Kennard and DE Cornelius Washington on active-non football injury list.

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