One of the major stories of the NFL offseason and training camp was the holdout and trade discussions surrounding Seahawks safety Earl Thomas. Thomas is in the final year of his contract and wanted either an extension or a trade. The Seahawks weren't willing to provide the former, and their asking price was said to be too high on the latter.
Thomas eventually reported to the team just before the start of the season, and he was off to a great start heading into Week 4 despite holding himself out of practices and just suiting up on game days. (He pretty much single-handedly won the Seahawks their Week 3 game against the Cowboys.) But even after Thomas reported, the Seahawks kept discussing potential trades. And according to a report from Yahoo!'s Terez Paylor, the Seahawks and Chiefs were getting close to a deal and there was optimism that one would've been completed in the next couple weeks had Thomas not suffered a broken leg on Sunday.
The Chiefs, in particular, were particularly annoyed with the development, as sources tell Yahoo Sports that although the two teams couldn't agree on a trade this past week, the two sides were inching closer toward a deal and there was internal optimism something would be struck before the deadline.
Throughout the offseason it was reported that the Seahawks wanted more than a second-round pick in exchange for Thomas. Perhaps that price was coming down or perhaps the Chiefs upped their offer. (They reportedly turned down Dallas' 2018 third-round pick on draft day, then asked for their 2018 second and didn't get it when the Cowboys selected Connor Williams instead, and then turned down Dallas' 2019 second during camp.)
Either way, the Seahawks will instead get nothing for Thomas this year, and will be left with only a future third-round pick as a compensatory selection assuming Thomas (a) leaves in free agency and (b) signs a deal large enough to merit a third-round comp pick; and (c) the Seahawks do not sign a free agent to a similarly-sized deal to cancel out the Thomas contract in the comp pick formula.
With the Chiefs no longer having the possibility of acquiring Thomas for this season, they may turn their attention elsewhere. They're unlikely to find a player who will make as big an impact on their horrendous pass defense as Thomas would have. Thomas, meanwhile, will hit free agency this offseason and will presumably have plenty of suitors, but perhaps not for quite as much money as he could've gotten had the Seahawks given him either an extension or trade at some point before his nasty injury.
