The Seahawks may have to get comfortable with the idea that Earl Thomas isn't showing up. The Pro Bowl safety remains adamant that he wants a new deal, and if he doesn't get one he'll continue his hold out — however long it takes.

"I'm standing strong on this — because I've got to," Thomas wrote in the Players Tribune. "I'm standing strong when it comes to getting what I deserve. I've been one of the best defensive players in this league for the better part of a decade, and the numbers show that this team plays much better with me than without me. Beyond that, I still have some great years of football left in my tank. I'm not even close to slowing down. I'm still working to get better."

Thomas' point is a straightforward one: This isn't about greed, this is about one of the league's best players getting what he feels he deserves.

"If you're risking your body to deliver all of this value to an organization, then you deserve some sort of assurance that the organization will take care of you if you get hurt. It's that simple," he said. "This isn't new, and this isn't complicated. It's the reason I'm holding out — I want to be able to give my everything, on every play, without any doubt in my mind."

Thomas then asked the Seahawks to do one of two things: Pay him or trade him.

Seattle considered trading Thomas to Dallas during the draft but nothing materialized. The 29-year-old safety is set to make $8.5 million in 2018 but the Cowboys apparently weren't interested in parting ways with a high draft pick for what would amount to a one-year deal; if there is a trade, it will almost certainly include a new contract. Thomas has been linked to the Cowboys for months though a team official reportedly said last month that those rumors are a lot of media hype.

For now, Thomas is still the only member of the Legion of Boom left in Seattle. Richard Sherman, Jeremy Lane and DeShawn Shead were released this offseason, and it sounds like Kam Chancellor may have played his last NFL game.

"If the Seahawks don't intend on having me around for the long-term, then I understand," Thomas continued. "And if they want to start over and rebuild, then that's their right — it's part of the business. It's not what I want but I get it. All I ask, though, is that if that's the case, and they don't want me anymore — just please trade me to an organization that does. Please trade me to a team that wants me, so I can give my all to them for the rest of my career."

If coach Pete Carroll's recent comments are any indication, the Seahawks don't plan to give Thomas a new deal.

"We did communicate awhile back, but really, there has been kind of a clear stance and so there hasn't been much talk about it right now," Carroll said earlier this week. "Wish he was here, he's one of us and all that. We're really going to work with the guys we've got, the guys that are fired up to be out here playing with us. That's really where our focus is right now."

Meanwhile, Thomas has been commiserating with other players who have similar experiences.

"The past few weeks, I've had a bunch of guys reach out to me to offer their support, and to just talk about their experiences of being in my situation," he wrote. "One of them was Eric Weddle. He was dominant for the Chargers for nine seasons — and then everything went south. When he asked the team to make a commitment, they treated him like he was being selfish. All he wanted was the opportunity to finish his career where he started it. After a decade of grind, he just wanted some security. How is that selfish?"