Earl Thomas had an interception in the playoffs against both Washington and Atlanta. Thomas also had an interception in the Pro Bowl. I don't think it was a coincidence that Thomas had three picks in three games. Earl Thomas is becoming one of the best Free Safetys in the game. The best pass defense is a good pass rush. The Hawks need to solve their pass rushing woes. But having Earl Thomas signed long term is a must.

He's already an all pro. Extending our core guys like Earl, Okung, Chancellor, Sherman, and the like should be a priority over a splashy free agent. It's going to hurt when we can't keep all of these guys.

Reason being... teams are already catching on to what we have going here in Seattle, now you know our players are starting to cost more because of our rising status in the league, now imagine a year or two down the line, when we've been to the post season for a few years in a row, and these players are seasoned and perhaps (GOD PLEASE) Superbowl winners... NOW you're talking about many of our players being household names, you're talking about stars, even at least 1 Superstar... Now suddenly the stock price rises, even our good (not great) players will demand a higher price... it only makes sense to lock up some of these guys before that happens... get them on 3 - 4 year deals... Earl Thomas jumps out at me right away as someone we NEED to lock up... but don't forget to look at what Golden Tate is starting to show and what I think he's becoming... this could be the very best time to take advantage and extend players before we're stuck having to let some of our guys go to afford Wilson's eventual 15-20 million a year contract.

.....extremely narrow and unforgiving when closed. Sign the core OL and DL guys long-term and continue to build the depth. Other weaker teams are desperate for help (say "Bradley's Jaguars") and desperate enough to give up top picks where Seattle may not have enough. Clean the bones clean; we need meat here!

You only have so much cap room available. Its no secret that successful teams like Pittsburg and Green Bay lock up their key players long term.

Suggestion: While we are talking extensions etc and since Romo has about one year left, why not offer Matt to the Cowboys for a first round draft pick?