‘Sharpening My Toolbox’: Seahawks LB Drake Thomas Not Satisfied After Breakout Season, New Contract

Sticking to a philosophy that has yielded tremendous success for the franchise under general manager John Schneider, the Seattle Seahawks have continued to happily open up the checkbook for deserving former undrafted free agents who put in the work and thrive on and off the field.

This past offseason alone, Schneider handed lucrative multi-year contracts to a pair of veterans who previously had been cut by their original teams and joined the Seahawks as waiver wire claims. Among those to sign the dotted line and re-up in Seattle, fourth-year linebacker Drake Thomas inked a two-year, $8 million deal as a restricted free agent, a substantial pay bump with some long-term security and $1.5 million guaranteed after earning less than $900,000 annually in his first three seasons in the NFL.

It’s been quite the ride for Thomas, who originally signed with the Raiders after going undrafted out of North Carolina State, failing to make the initial 53-man roster before the Seahawks came swooping in for the waiver claim.

“It's amazing. I love the people in this building. They believed in me and they gave me opportunity,” Thomas said prior to Friday’s sixth training camp practice. “And to be able to come back in here and continue to play football is a blessing.”