Solomon Thomas was one of the free-agent signings the Las Vegas Raiders made last offseason that went under the radar.
Thomas was a player with a ton of potential coming out of Stanford, and he was drafted with the third overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers. During his time there, Thomas flashed his potential, but in the grand scheme of things, he didn’t live up to that potential. Sometimes, all a player needs is a change of scenery. That proved to be the case for Solomon, who had a better season with the Raiders.
A change in scenery
Thomas had a rather uninspiring first four years of his career. His excellent senior season at Stanford vaulted him up the draft boards, eventually high enough for the 49ers to land him with the third pick. After this transpired, the expectations for Thomas in the league were understandably high.
In his fourth season, Thomas only played two games, but in his three full seasons with San Francisco, he logged just six sacks. Another unsatisfactory number is the 95 total tackles in what were essentially three seasons with the 49ers.
However, oftentimes, if a player doesn’t fit with a team, a coaching staff, or even a city, it can cause their on-the-field performance to suffer. It’s all about the environment, and Thomas seemed to be much more comfortable in Las Vegas this past year. He didn’t have an exceptional year, but he played much better.
With less pressure comes better performance…
Thomas entered the 2021 season with a new team and what seemed like a fresh start. Perhaps playing alongside Maxx Crosby and Yannick Ngakoue helped take some pressure off him, or maybe it was the excellent coaching from Rod Marinelli.
Either way, Solomon played much better. He set a career high in sacks with 3.5 and forced two fumbles to go along with 34 tackles. Those numbers are not spectacular by any means, and they definitely don’t live up to the expectations that come with a top five pick. The Raiders didn’t spend that kind of capital on him, though; they signed him to a one-year, $3.2 million deal. For that price, those numbers and the stability Thomas provided are more than enough.
His consistency is something to be reminded of as well. The Raiders seemed to be dealing with blow after blow this season, with lots of those being injuries to the defensive unit. Regardless, Thomas was able to play in every game the Raiders played this season. Even though his output dropped toward the end of the year, his consistency helped Las Vegas more than most people realize.
What does his future hold?
Overall, Thomas is not a high-priority free agent for the Raiders as they head into the offseason. Thomas and his 3.5 sacks and 34 tackles aren’t a rare commodity in the NFL. So, if his asking price is too high, don’t expect the Raiders to listen.
With that said, Thomas is a great locker room guy and a hard worker. Sure, you could find those players throughout the league, but Thomas has plenty of skills to go alongside that. If the price is right, the least the Raiders should do is talk to him about coming back.
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