Earl Thomas is going back to the place where it all started for him.
The playmaking safety was a star in Seattle for nine seasons, helping the Seahawks win a Super Bowl while establishing himself as one of the best at his position.
Then, things got a bit messy.
"I feel like they were kind of trying to phase me out," Thomas said this week.
He was a contract holdout in training camp last year, and his season ended when he broke his left leg in Week 4 — punctuated by Thomas flipping the middle finger to Pete Carroll and the Seahawks' sideline as he rode off the field on a cart.