ARLINGTON, Texas -- In an odd postgame exchange, Seattle Seahawks free safety Earl Thomas approached Jason Garrett and urged the Dallas Cowboys coach to acquire him if he were ever to become available.
Thomas' comment to Garrett came after the Seahawks beat Dallas 21-12 at AT&T Stadium on Sunday to keep their playoff hopes alive. Cameras showed Thomas running after Garrett and then telling him, "If y'all got the chance to come get me, come get me!"
Thomas later confirmed that's what he told Garrett but clarified that he didn't necessarily mean anytime soon. Thomas, 28, grew up in Orange, Texas, and has talked in the past about how much it means to him to play against the team he rooted for as a child.
"We had a great win. I feel like we played lights-out. Just emotional," Thomas said. "I went to the locker room to talk to [Dez] Bryant, and I saw Coach Garrett. I've always been a Cowboys fan growing up. But the biggest thing when I say 'Come get me' is, I don't literally mean like, 'Come get me now.' I'm still in the prime of my career. I still want to be here, but when Seattle kicks me to the curb, please -- the Cowboys -- come get me. That's the only place I would rather be if I get kicked to the curb. So that's what I meant by it. People take life too serious. That's just who I am."
Thomas said Garrett didn't have much to say in response. He said he was hoping to talk with Bryant, a close friend, simply to tell him good game.
Thomas has spent his entire career with the Seahawks, who drafted him in the first round in 2010. He signed a four-year, $40 million extension after the Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVIII, and it made him the NFL's highest-paid safety at the time. That deal runs through the 2018 season.
Asked whether he has gotten any indication that the Seahawks might not want him around much longer, Thomas said with a laugh, "I don't know. But if they don't, you know, please come get me."
Thomas said he's happy with the Seahawks. "I love being here," he said. "This is where I started. I built my résumé here, and I've got Kam [Chancellor] and [Richard Sherman], [defensive coordinator Kris Richard]. I don't want to leave."
Thomas was just named to his sixth Pro Bowl and has been a first-team All-Pro three times in his career.
The Seahawks have tended to wait until a player is in or entering the final year of his contract before giving him an extension, though defensive end Michael Bennett last season was an exception.
Thomas didn't say explicitly that the Seahawks have not approached him about an extension, but his comments strongly implied as much.
Asked if he wished the team would begin talking to him about a new deal, Thomas said, "Yeah, that would be a great Christmas present."
Did he expect that to happen already?
"I don't know," Thomas said. "I'm just going to keep balling, and hopefully they see the value."
According to Spotrac.com, Thomas is now the NFL's fourth-highest-paid free safety in terms of annual average. Last week, NFL.com reported that Thomas may seek a raise that surpasses the $13 million average that Kansas City's Eric Berry makes as the league's top-paid free safety. Thomas said at the time he took note of that contract when Berry signed it this past offseason.
Thomas was again vague when asked whether he senses that the Seahawks may be willing to move on from him because they have yet to approach him about an extension.
"I don't want to get too deep into it, but it's a business, and we have great young guys coming in," he said. "And you just never know."