RENTON, Wash. -- Earl Thomas was late to the announcement for his own contract extension, proving the Seattle Seahawks All-Pro free safety isnt just fast on the field. Driving a little too speedy to the Seahawks facility on Tuesday morning made Thomas late after getting pulled over. "I didnt try and bulldog him and say, My name is Earl Thomas. Because then he would be like, This dude is cocky, and give me a ticket," Thomas joked. "He let me off. Thats the moral of the story." Thomas was locked up through the 2018 season when the Seahawks announced a four-year contract extension making him the highest-paid safety in the NFL. The deal is worth $40 million over four years and includes $27.7 million in guaranteed money. Thomas wanted the title of highest-paid safety. He also wanted the responsibility that comes with that. Thomas was hoping to get a long-term deal in place before the Seahawks start organized team activities later this month so there were no distractions heading into the 2014 season. "I compete in everything that I do and I want to set the bar. That was my goal," Thomas said. Thomas was Seattles second first-round pick in the 2010 draft, the first with coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider leading the franchise. Its turned out to be one of the most important selections the team has made since starting a makeover with the duo in charge of moulding the Seahawks into a championship club. Thomas is a two-time first-team All-Pro selection and regarded as the top safety in the NFL. The Seahawks would be a different defensive team if they didnt have Thomas skills at their disposal. His speed allows Thomas uncommon range in coverage. Hes become more disciplined staying within Seattles defensive framework, and Thomas has remained reliable at cleaning up any problems in the back. "I think the thing that comes to the front for me is this program has always been based on competition. When we look for players and coaches to add to our club were always looking for great competitors," Carroll said. "When we had the chance to take Earl, I dont know that I appreciated it as much as I do now the great competitor that he is. He has throughout the time hes been with us as a very young man, has played at the highest level he can generate every single day that hes played for us in this organization." Thomas gets the second major extension Seattle has announced this off-season after locking up Carroll through 2016. Now the question is if the Seahawks can get an extension done with All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman. Staying in-house has been the Seahawks priority this off-season; they also took care of bringing back defensive end Michael Bennett. "Sherm has everything under control. Hell take care of it," Thomas said. Schneider said the commitment to Thomas is another signal that Seattle doesnt intend on being a contender or a champion just once. "I think youre seeing an evolution of our development in terms of acquisition and how were building this team to be a consistent championship-calibre team," Schneider said. "We talk about it all the time we dont want to be a team that cruises in and cruises out." Thomas wanted to share the day with those close to him. He made sure one of the photo ops before the formal announcement included most of the defensive coaching staff, along with teammate Kam Chancellor, who signed an extension through 2017 last off-season. "Thats my family. Thats the people that have helped me," Thomas said. "... You learn from everybody, every opportunity you get. I dont waste my time. I invest everything." Gerardo Parra Jersey . With one week left in the regular season, Cornish - voted The Toughest Player To Bring Down - is a leading candidate for the CFLs Most Outstanding Player award. He has rushed for 1,799 yards and could break Willie Burdens club record for rushing yards in a single season with a 98-yard performance against the B. Antonio Senzatela Jersey . According to a report from ESPN, Lynch wants a new contract from the Seahawks, and will likely skip all off-season workouts until he can renegotiate his deal with the Seahawks. http://www.cheaprockiesjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-jake-mcgee-jersey .com) - After Tom Brady added to an already illustrious legacy, Malcolm Butler established his by leaving the Seattle Seahawks, well, deflated. Bryan Shaw Jersey . Azarenka needed exactly one hour in a 6-1, 6-0 rout of Austrian Yvonne Meusburger to start the night session at Laver Arena. Sharapova had a much easier time earlier in the day with cooler conditions and took full advantage in 6-1, 7-6 (8-6) win over Frenchwoman Alize Cornet, while Radwanska had to rally for a 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Chris Iannetta Jersey . It was the first game back in Columbus for Rangers star Rick Nash, the Blue Jackets franchise leader in goals, assists and games. He was given a standing ovation during a video tribute in the first period, but was booed loud and long after a second-period, two-handed shove up high on Columbus goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.Chris Gayle and Mahela Jayawardena have been named in Somersets squad for the NatWest T20 Blast clash with Sussex on Wednesday. Gayle and Jayawardena, two of the most exciting players in Twenty20 history, will show off their talents in front of the Sky Sports cameras at the 1st Central County Ground in Hove.West Indies opener Gayle had a short stint with the county last summer and produced one of the most memorable innings of the season when he smashed an unbeaten 151 off 62 balls against Kent, a game Somerset went on to lose by three runs chasing 228. Jayawardena, who previously played for Sussex, was employed by England as a batting consultant during the World Twenty20 and also acted as part of Sky Sports coverage of the Indian Premier League.Somerset lost their opening T20 Blast game of the season on May 20, with Kent again coming out on top in a high-scoring affair in Canterbury.But they have since produced a superb lower-order batting display to beat Surrey in the Specsavers County Championship and T20 captain Jim Allenby hopes they can continue that momentum on Wednesday. Chris Gayle will be back in Somerset colours on Wednesday After our exciting victory over Surrey we are looking forward to some more wins and singing the Blackbird song, which is why we play cricket, Alleenby told Somersets website.ddddddddddddIts very exciting to get back into the T20 Blast after a couple of weeks in the County Championship. This has given us time to reflect on what we did well and maybe not so well at Canterbury in our first game.We batted well at Kent but were maybe 20 runs light. They came out all guns blazing and I think that is the modern way in T20 now, so there are going to be some big scores, which is fantastic because its a great game to watch and to play. We cant wait to have Mahela and Chris joining us this week and its really exciting to have these guys joining a squad which is already a strong group of players. Mahela Jayawardena makes his Somerset debut against a Sussex side he played for in 2015 Get a Sky Sports Day Pass Dont miss Sussex v Somerset. Watch live on NOW TV for £6.99. No contract Also See: WATCH: Top Blast moments Live cricket on Sky WATCH: The Blast is back! Get Sky Sports ' ' '