Terrell Thomas is coming off a third knee reconstruction to his right ACL and is considered a long shot to make it back to play for the Giants. He took a financial step in the right direction, as Monday he agreed to a one-year contract that will at least give him a chance to prove himself on the practice field without being a salary cap burden.
Thomas was due a $6 million option bonus payable in March and, coming off the injury, was not going to see any of that money. He was also due a 2013 base salary of $750,000. He is considered to be an extreme medical risk, as he’s actually torn his right ACL three times, dating back to his days at USC. He missed the entire 2011 season after injuring the knee again in the preseason and, after it seemed as if was making a comeback, he re-injured his knee last summer and required another surgical procedure.
Last spring, before hitting free agency, Thomas signed a four-year deal worth a maximum of $28 million but the Giants protected themselves in case of injury. Sure enough, he got hurt again and is currently rehabbing in Pensacola, Fla.
Before he missed back-to-back seasons, Thomas was a rising star, amassing 10 interceptions in 2009 and 2010 to develop into the team’s best cornerback. He might have to undergo a position change. Thomas not long ago made contact with Ronnie Lott, a player who began his NFL career at cornerback before moving to safety, where he became a Hall of Famer. Thomas, 28, may be moved to safety, which would decrease the stress on his knee.
General manager Jerry Reese did not discount a position change for Thomas. Last month, Reese said, “He may be one of those guys at this point in his career, if he does get back on the field from the injury, you might have to move him to a different position like safety instead of playing corner. Because, a couple ACLs playing corner is tough to do. But he is a smart guy. You’ve seen guys before that start careers at cornerback, and have some injuries or lose a step and teams move them inside to safety. That is something we will look at.”
Kenny Phillips is a free agent and quite possibly not coming back and Stevie Brown is also a free agent. Before Thomas is penciled in anywhere, though, he must prove that he is healthy enough to compete.