Today was the first day of the off-season training program, and players like Darius Butler-players who are wiling to give their all and bring this team back to the top- were on the scene. Unfortunately, not every player can be like Butler. Mike Reiss reported that:
Adalius Thomas was not present for the team's offseason program today.
We all know that Thomas has been a locker room trouble maker, as of late, and it was expected that he wouldn't show up and give his all this off-season. The fact that he didn't show up could mean the beginning of the end of Thomas' mostly failed tenure in New England. Our front office can now go three directions with Thomas:
- Keep Thomas around. This, however unfortunate it sounds, is still a possibility. We could milk Thomas' service for another year. His price tag may be a little too high for some teams, meaning that he could be stuck here. I wouldn't expect top effort from him, though, so I'd expect him to ride the pine as our younger players (Sean Crable? Please?) get his playing time.
- Release Thomas. This is an option if no team is interested in him and we don't want him. This is extremely dangerous as Rex Ryan and the Jets have been chomping at the bit for the chance to have Thomas join their linebacking core. While Thomas may not have thrived as a Patriot, Ryan had success with Thomas as a Raven. Releasing him gives the Jets a chance to grab him and use him against us- not something I want.
- Trade Thomas! This is the most promising option, in my opinion. It's no secret that we want Thomas gone and, for the right price, hopefully some team would accept. There were wishful thoughts that we'd trade Thomas for Deion Branch, as they're both grossly overpaid and not doing as well as they could be.
My thoughts? I think that we HAVE to trade Thomas. Keeping him as a Patriot wastes a roster space and releasing him is far too dangerous. I'd take a 5th or 6th round pick for him at this point (maybe even a 7th if it puts him in Siberia or, even worse, Oakland).
The Adalius Thomas years in New England should come to an end soon.
How they will end is the question that remains to be answered.