The Jets agreed Wednesday to re-sign Thomas to a one-year deal worth up to $3.9 million, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Thomas first signed with the Jets on a one-year, $2.25 million contract last offseason following one campaign with the Raiders. This deal reunited the 6-foot-2 interior defensive lineman with Jets head coach Robert Saleh, who served as Thomas' defensive coordinator in San Francisco from 2017-20. The 27-year-old went on to record double-digit tackles for just the second time in his career while playing in the Jets' deep rotation of defensive linemen. Thomas now figures to reprise a similar role alongside star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams this coming season.
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Jets' Solomon Thomas: Reunites with coach Saleh
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Thomas signed a contract with the Jets on Monday, Brian Costello of the New York Post reports.
Thomas played under Jets head coach Robert Saleh from 2017 to 2020 during their time with the 49ers. During that span, the 2017 first-round pick totaled 95 tackles and six sacks across 48 appearances. Thomas spent last season with the Raiders, registering 34 tackles, 3.5 sacks and two forced fumbles across 17 games. He figures to be a key piece along the Jets defensive line in 2022.
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49ers' Solomon Thomas: May have injured ACL
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The 49ers believe Thomas may have sustained an ACL injury during Sunday's win over the Jets, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Maiocco stopped short of saying Thomas tore his ACL, but the team will likely run an MRI to see the extent of the damage. With Nick Bosa expected to be done for the year with a confirmed torn ACL, Thomas' potential season-ending injury is another hit to team's defensive line.
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49ers' Solomon Thomas: Leaves field on cart
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Thomas (knee) needed to be carted off the field during Sunday's game against the Jets, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
More disasterous news for the 49ers, as both Thomas and Nick Bosa needed to be carted off the field during Sunday's game in the first quarter. Thomas was down on the field in pain, seeming to tend to his left knee. As long as he's out, Kevin Givens appears in line to see an uptick in snaps at defensive tackle.
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49ers' Solomon Thomas: Will play more on interior
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Thomas will be moved to the inside and used more as a pass-rushing defensive tackle this season, according to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Thomas has struggled winning battles against offensive tackles over his first three seasons as a pro, so the 49ers will look to move him to defensive tackle in 2020. The 2017 third-overall pick bulked up to 282 pounds this offseason, and while he is still undersized as a traditional defensive tackle against the run, he is having success in camp at beating his inside assignments against guards and centers in passing situations. Expect Thomas to be utilized in that role in nickel and lighter formations, possibly splitting time with either D.J. Jones or Javon Kinlaw. It wouldn't be surprising to see the 25-year-old surpass his career high of just three sacks despite seeing fewer snaps overall.
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49ers' Solomon Thomas: Fifth-year option declined
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Thomas had his fifth-year option declined by the 49ers on Friday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
The No. 3 overall pick in 2017 has fallen short of expectations to an extreme degree through his first three seasons, and the 49ers will not agree to keep him through 2021 at this stage. Thomas saw his snap count drop from 646 in 2018 to 428 in 2019 as he became a rotational piece on San Francisco's defensive line. He will get one more season to right the ship before he hits free agency in 2021.
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49ers' Solomon Thomas: Bust label sticks in third season
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Thomas had 21 tackles (15 solo) and two sacks over 16 games during the 2019 regular season.
Thomas -- the third overall pick in 2017 -- spent most of the season as a backup and situational interior rusher on third downs. The Stanford product was given a brief opportunity to show off his skills as an edge rusher when multiple defensive ends went down to injury midway through the season, but he simply did not look comfortable in that role. San Francisco boasts the best defensive line in football, so Thomas should remain a backup even if the team does not bring Arik Armstead back this upcoming offseason.
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49ers' Solomon Thomas: Posts sack against Bengals
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Thomas made three tackles (two solo) and a sack in Sunday's win over the Bengals.
Thomas had an increased role on defense since Dee Ford left Sunday's game with a knee injury, and he made use of his extra snaps by getting to Andy Dalton. When Ford returns, Thomas will likely be used in a situational role once again since rookie Nick Bosa is proving to be a capable edge rusher.
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49ers' Solomon Thomas: Third year will be key for lineman
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Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh hopes that new defensive line coach Kris Kocurek can help take Thomas' game to the next level in 2019, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Thomas started all 16 games for the 49ers in his sophomore campaign, finishing with 31 tackles (24 solo), a sack and three tackles for a loss. The 22-year-old showed some improvement in terms of being a disruptive backfield presence playing both on the outside and the interior of the defensive line, but his statistics were underwhelming for a player taken third overall in the 2017 draft. The team described Kocurek's addition as "an opportunity they needed to take advantage of," and Thomas' development and usage next season will be one of the new coach's primary tasks this offseason. Until we see an actual improvement in Thomas' pass-rush numbers, however, it will be tough to justify IDP relevance given the lackluster stats the lineman has posted over his first two seasons.
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49ers' Solomon Thomas: Exits preseason game with head injury
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Thomas sustained a head injury and won't return to Thursday's preseason opener against the Cowboys, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
It isn't entirely clear what Thomas is dealing with. There's been no word of him being in the protocol for head injuries, but a concussion still can't be definitively ruled out. We'll likely know more about his injury in the coming days.
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49ers' Solomon Thomas: Will have mixed role in 2018
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Thomas is expected to play defensive end on early downs and tackle on passing downs in 2018, Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee reports.
Thomas was eased into NFL play during 2017, and a midseason knee injury didn't help his cause. Regardless, the 2017 first-round pick made 41 tackles (34 solo) and three sacks in his rookie campaign. The new role should help him stay on the field for all three downs and hopefully fire up his stat line. Most importantly, the 49ers hope Thomas can develop into the pass rusher who racked up eight sacks in his final season at Stanford.
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49ers' Solomon Thomas: Wraps up third sack of season
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Thomas collected six tackles (five solo) and a sack in Sunday's 44-33 victory over Jacksonville.
This year's third overall pick put his skills on display against a tough Jacksonville squad, making 1.5 tackles for a loss in addition to his third sack of the season. Overall, Thomas hasn't posted numbers that are very useful to IDP owners (40 tackles and three sacks), but he was brought along slowly as a backup to start the year, and then games like Sunday's remind us of the potential he has as a defensive force.
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49ers' Solomon Thomas: Continues to be used as backup
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Thomas collected four tackles (all solo) in Sunday's loss to Seattle.
The talented rookie continues to officially be used as a backup despite out-snapping the 49ers' starting right end, Tank Carradine, for the second straight week. Not handing a starting job to a high draft pick has become common practice in the NFL, but as long as Thomas continues to show improvement and see the majority of defensive snaps, then he should be considered the "starter" by IDP owners.
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49ers' Solomon Thomas: Returns after minor injury Friday
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Thomas had his neck/shoulder area examined in the third quarter of Friday's preseason opener against the Chiefs, but he remained in the game and there are no concerns regarding an injury, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
The fact that the first-round draft pick was allowed to finish out a preseason contest goes to show how insignificant of an issue this is. Thomas finished the game with two tackles (both solo), but he was constantly shedding blocks and disrupting the Kansas City backfield. The talented rookie projects to start at one of the 49ers' defensive end positions and could make an immediate IDP impact in terms of tackles and sacks.
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49ers' Solomon Thomas: Signs contract Friday
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Thomas agreed to a four-year rookie contract with the 49ers on Friday, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
No surprise here, as the third overall pick of the 2017 draft was expected to eventually ink a contract once the monetary details were hashed out. Thomas is the front-runner to start at one of the end positions in San Francisco's revamped 4-3 defense, but he will have to prove himself during training camp after getting a late start with the team due to his academic schedule.
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49ers' Solomon Thomas: Third overall selection
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The 49ers selected Thomas in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, third overall.
Thomas (6-foot-3, 273 pounds) is a stocky end who lacks the wingspan of linemen typically drafted this high, but he was a productive disruptor at Stanford and has excellent athleticism for the position. He logged a 4.69-second 40 at the Combine, throwing in strong jumps (35-inch vertical, 126-inch broad jump) and uncommon agility (6.95-second three-cone, 4.28-second 20-yard shuttle). Even as a rookie, Thomas may be the best pass rusher on a 49ers defense lacking edge talent.
