The salary cap is not just a maximum. It also has a minimum. You have to pay somebody. With all the high priced vets they let go this offseason , they have plenty of cap room and are required to spend it. If they want Thomas next year, they can always franchise him. Teams always have more leverage than players with very few exceptions. If Seattle is approaching the season as you say, what the flip would they care if Earl Thomas is happy or not? Why make Dallas better for very little return?
Sure, they can franchise tag him, and pay him more than they're unwilling to pay him in an extension. That's sure to happen.
All I know for sure is the folks running that team are lot smarter the ones running this team.
Really? Maybe at one point in time, but that ship has sailed, or in their case, sunk.
They're now reduced to having traded away future draft picks for questionable returns. See Sheldon Richardson and Duane Brown. One is already gone and the other is in the last year of his contract.
Meanwhile, they gave away Michael Bennett, cut Richard Sherman for no return and watched him sign in division, and saw Jimmy Graham leave along with plenty of others. Oh, and Avril and Chancellor are both done with injuries too.
Things are going swimmingly for Seattle...