Earl Thomas has long been considered one of the best safeties. However, some recent problems have led to Thomas being shockingly released by the Baltimore Ravens.

The defensive back was selected in the first round (14th overall) by the Seattle Seahawks back in 2010. He immediately became a superstar.

Thomas went on to spend the first nine years of his career in the NFL. In those nine years, the safety made it to six Pro Bowls and was a first-team All Pro three different times.

He racked up 664 tackles, 28 interceptions, 67 pass deflections, 11 forced fumble and three defensive touchdowns.

This all led to Earl Thomas being highly regarded around the league.

Then in 2019, the defensive back moved to a new team. After nine seasons with the Seahawks, Earl Thomas joined the Ravens.

His first season in Baltimore had some ups and some downs. Earl Thomas finished with 49 tackles (although he did have his first two sacks) to go along with two interceptions, four pass deflections and one forced fumble in 15 games.

Nothing spectacular, but Earl Thomas was a major part of a great defense that helped lead the Ravens to a 14-2 record in the regular season.

However, his tenure with the Ravens is already over. After just that one season, Baltimore already cut ties with the superstar safety.

An altercation with teammate Chuck Clark was the final straw. Baltimore released Earl Thomas on Sunday.

Earl Thomas is still a star safety though. So there is likely going to be a lot of interest in the defensive back. What are some possible destinations though?

Let's take a look at try to figure out five different teams that could call on Thomas for his services.

5. Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys have been linked to Earl Thomas for a pretty long time. So of course they had to be featured on this list.

Dallas seems hell bent on getting a safety. Not only were they linked to Thomas, but they were heavily linked to Jamal Adams (fair warning, Adams will feature heavily into this list).

The Cowboys are a team that people seem split on. Many believe they will be right in the fight for the NFC East title. However, how far they can get in the playoffs seems to be a point of contention.

While some believe they are legitimate Super Bowl contenders, quite a few still feel this team is a fake challenger.

One easy way for the Cowboys to win a lot of people over would be to add to the secondary – a position many could consider a weakness for Dallas.

The fact that Earl Thomas and the Cowboys were linked last offseason is just icing on the cake here. It simply makes too much sense for the two sides to finally work something out and get together for the 2020 season.

4. Philadelphia Eagles

Let's stay in the NFC East for the next team. Like the Cowboys, the Philadelphia Eagles were pretty heavily linked to Jamal Adams.

In fact, the Eagles were one of the big finalists in that sweepstakes before the Seahawks made the big push and sent a King's ransom for the safety's services.

Philadelphia is pretty weak at the safety position too. This could push them over the top and elevate them from NFC East contenders to Super Bowl contenders.

At the moment, the Eagles have Rodney McLeod as one safety. The options for the other spot at the position are Marcus Epps, Rudy Ford, Jalen Mills, Will Parks and K'Von Wallace.

There are some intriguing names there, but are any of them the type of safety you would expect on a Super Bowl caliber team?

Let me ask that a different way, are any of them better options for a Super Bowl contending team than Earl Thomas? The answer is pretty clear there.

The Eagles have shown tons of interest in upgrading at the safety position already. They now have the perfect opportunity to do so in free agency by getting one of the best safeties of this generation.

3. San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers have Richard Sherman. Why not reunite the cornerback with his old teammate?

Last season Sherman showed there is still plenty left in the tank. Imagine pairing him with Earl Thomas again. Maybe that would be the perfect recipe for a Thomas bounce back season.

And if you don't remember for some reason, San Francisco was absolutely dominant last season defensively.

The 49ers were second in the NFL in yards allowed per game (281.8) and eighth in points allowed per game (19.4). Meanwhile, their 27 forced turnovers were sixth in the league.

Those are some incredible numbers right there. They won San Francisco quite a few games last season and were 100% one of the main reasons that found themselves in the Super Bowl last year.

Despite that great defensive performance, there is still room for improvement. And safety is definitely a spot that the 49ers could use an upgrade on.

Earl Thomas might be looking for a long-term deal. If that is the case, San Francisco might not be the right destination. That seems like it would be more up the Dallas route.

However, Earl Thomas may be looking for a one-year prove it deal. He is now coming off a down season and was just cut from his team for fighting with a teammate. Thomas might want to reestablish himself as a star and leader.

If that's the case, it's hard to think of a better fit that San Francisco.

2. New York Jets

The New York Jets just traded away a superstar safety in Adams. They sent him to Seattle and got a boatload in return.

That included a ton of draft picks. But it also included a safety in return, in Bradley McDougald.

Now, no disrespect to McDougald. He is still a very good safety. But very few are on the level of Adams.

While Thomas might not be that good anymore, he is still elite. And could very well bounce back and put himself right into that top tier with Adams once again.

New York is in an interesting spot themselves. The AFC East is more open than it ever has been.

While the Jets have some issues to sort out, Thomas is the type of player that could help them win. If quarterback Sam Darnold takes a step forward, this could very well be a playoff team.

However, they need some help on defense. Thomas being available seems almost too perfect. The Jets could lose a superstar in Adams and barely skip a beat. Don't be surprised if New York pulls the trigger and adds the veteran.

1. New England Patriots

Speaking of the AFC West, never count out Bill Belichick. The head coach of the New England Patriots tends to get his man. And a star veteran like Thomas seems like a perfect fit.

This is something I feel like we are starting to see every year with the Patriots. They go through the offseason with many doubting them, saying this is the year the “dynasty” officially ends. As we get closer to the season, people start to walk back on that comment though.

Then, the Patriots do something that puts them right back in that Super Bowl favorites discussion.

At the start of this offseason, New England was done. Tom Brady left in free agency and signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. To add insult to injury, Rob Gronkowski came out of retirement just to get traded to Tampa Bay as well.

They had no quarterback and many weren't just talking about New England no longer being Super Bowl contenders. Suddenly people thought they might try tanking in 2020.

Then the Patriots signed Cam Newton. They have a quarterback now and are now considered AFC East favorites again.

Why not throw a little bit more into the fire though? Add Thomas and make that incredible defense even better? Now you're taking a lot of pressure off Newton and the offense, and the Super Bowl aspirations are back.

Besides, if there is anyone that could get the absolute best out of Thomas – like the All Pro best safety in the league version – it's Belichick.

Thomas will have a lot of suitors. New England might have one of the most intriguing arguments for him though.