It was evident that Earl Thomas never seemed to fit in with the Baltimore Ravens after signing with the team in 2019. Jimmy Smith, a veteran cornerback for the Ravens, was transparent on what led to Thomas' release from the organization, per Sarah Ellison of the team's official site.

When the Ravens inked Thomas to a four-year, $55 million deal last offseason, he was expected to make a seamless transition to a team that had their sights on a Super Bowl. However, early in his tenure, there were signs that he'd become an issue in the locker room.

In a Week 4 matchup with the Cleveland Browns, Thomas got into a heated exchange with veteran Brandon Williams in the locker room. Even though both of them said the situation was behind them, it was just the beginning of Thomas' demise in Baltimore.

Earlier this offseason, Thomas was involved in a peculiar situation with his brother and wife. The Ravens became aware of the situation and spoke to Thomas about what had happened. At the time, Baltimore was prepared to give him another chance to prove he can represent the team well.

But early in training camp, Thomas would get into an emotional argument with teammate Chuck Clark. His run-in during practice with Clark was the final straw for the Ravens and he was released just one year after signing with the franchise.

In his lone year with Baltimore, Thomas still played at a Pro Bowl level, logging 49 tackles and two interceptions. Despite the contributions he can provide on the field, Smith knows the Ravens have a standard they go by. And obviously Baltimore didn't believe Thomas's talents outweighed the issues he caused behind closed doors.