hollis thomas wants out of PHILI......

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Hollis Thomas seeks trade

The Eagles' defensive tackle is unhappy with the deal he renegotiated in 2003, his agents say.

By Bob Brookover

Inquirer Staff Writer

The agents who represent Hollis Thomas have told the Eagles' front office that the veteran defensive tackle wants to be traded because he is unhappy with his contract situation.

Thomas is represented by Michael Bauer and Ron Slavin, who are based in Madison, Wis. Bauer and Slavin declined to be quoted directly for this story, but they explained that Thomas is upset about the deal he renegotiated in April 2003 because it is an incentive-based contract that they believe has unreachable goals, based on the way the team rotates its defensive tackles.

A team source said the Eagles would not trade Thomas or give him the raise he is seeking. The same source said the Eagles believe they have been more than fair with Thomas, who has missed 30 regular-season games because of injuries over the last four years.

According to his agents, Thomas said he was told by several members of the organization during the season that they would consider increasing his base salary for 2005 even if he did not reach any of his incentives. The Eagles source denied that claim.

Thomas, a nine-year veteran who has two years remaining on his contract, received a base salary of $700,000 last season and is scheduled to be paid $665,000 next season. That salary would have increased to $1 million if he had played 50 percent of the team's defensive snaps last season, $1.5 million if he played 55 percent, $2 million if he played 62.5 percent, and $2.5 million if he played 70 percent.

According to his agents, Thomas played 25 percent of the team's snaps. He missed the final three games of the regular season with a dislocated elbow, but returned for the playoffs and made a strong contribution, particularly in the NFC championship game against Atlanta. He made four tackles and sacked Falcons quarterback Michael Vick to complete a goal-line stand by the defense.

Thomas' representatives said not one of the Eagles' five defensive tackles played 50 percent of the snaps last season. They said, according to NFL statistics, that Darwin Walker played 49 percent, Corey Simon 43 percent, Sam Rayburn 41 percent and Paul Grasmanis 8.4 percent.

The agents said they decided to go public with their client's trade demand because they believe they have been ignored by the Eagles' front office. They said they would be satisfied if Thomas' salary was raised from $665,000 to $1 million.

Thomas, 31, has been with the Eagles since the 1996 season, joining safety Brian Dawkins as the longest tenured member. Signed as an undrafted free agent, he became a starter in the final five games of his rookie season under coach Ray Rhodes.

Over the next four seasons, Thomas started 60 of the team's 64 games. In the middle of the 2000 season, he signed a five-year contract extension worth $14.5 million. That deal included a $2.1 million signing bonus.

During the 2001 season, Thomas fractured his right foot while running onto the field before a game against the New York Giants. He missed the final two games of the regular season, then reinjured the foot during training camp in 2002 and missed the entire season. With three years left on Thomas' former deal, the Eagles asked him to renegotiate his contract. He signed a four-year extension worth $3.19 million, including a $500,000 bonus.

Eleven months ago, former offensive guard John Welbourn lodged a similar pay-me-or-trade-me complaint. The Eagles traded him to the Kansas City Chiefs for a third-round pick in this year's draft and drafted offensive guard Shawn Andrews with their first-round pick last season.