TE Logan Thomas

On signing an extension with Washington:

“It’s amazing to be able to stay home, especially playing for my hometown team, the team I grew up playing with. I’m blessed beyond belief. First, I want to say thank you to [Co-Owner] Dan [Snyder] and the organization, [Head] Coach Ron [Rivera] and the people that believed me to offer this up to me, and secondly, I’d like to thank God and my family, man. They’ve always been in my corner. They’ve done everything they could. For me, it’s a dream come true for me. I know [DT] Jon [Allen] said, ‘Washington for life’ and that’s exactly how I feel, as well. It’s been for me just to get back to here.”

On how the contract affects his approach to the game:

“It does not really change who I am or how I approach the game. It is nice to have a little bit in my pocket to be able to take care of my family.”

On how the long-term contract sends a message to other players:

“My teammates all came and gave me hugs. They told me that it is well deserved and that they cannot wait to be around me for the next couple of years.”

On his vaccination status:

“I’m not going to share my status, but I will say that everyone has the right to their own opinion. Whatever they want to do is up to them. I respect anyone’s opinion who does or doesn’t.”

On the process to get to the contract:

“It kind of started at the end of this month. They came in with an offer and it was not what I thought I could have had. We worked on it, worked on it, worked on it and got to a number that all parties agreed was a good number. We got to it about two days ago when it really released. It was a quick, but a long 12 hours when we really started kicking through it. I went to bed at like two in the morning, woke up and drove here. I am super excited about it. I am most excited that my family is taken care of.”

On if he looks back and finds it hard to believe where he is now:

“This is actually a conversation that I had with my wife last night, night before. I always knew I could play. I always knew that if I got an opportunity, I would be able to do something, it was just getting the opportunity. [Head Coach] Ron Rivera and [TE Coach] Pete Hoener, [OC] Scott [Turner], they gave me the opportunity to play, and I played pretty well. About midway through the season last year was when I knew that I might be able to have an opportunity at something like this. Beyond blessed and beyond thankful”

On the appreciation of his journey:

“Definitely appreciate the journey. It is a journey that not a lot of players have been able to take. But it’s a journey that a lot of people respect, especially people that have made the position switch. The Julian Edelman’s of the world, they made the transition from quarterback to wide receiver and such. It’s a journey where, I was drafted, cut, a year later, cut another year later, cut again, cut again, cut again, cut again. Detroit said they didn’t want me. Washington said they did. Just one of those things where if you keep your head down and keep working, anything is possible. For me, I was blessed to have the ability to make a position switch. A lot of guys aren’t. A lot of guys tell me I am paving the way for other guys, that isn’t the way I look at it. Everyone has their skillset. It is just doing it. If you are willing to put the work in, it’s possible.”

On how keeping himself and DT Jon Allen helps the team’s mentality and the overall culture of what you are trying to build:

“Not only one, keeping us around, but I think, or I know that Jon is a great dude. He is an amazing person to have in the locker room. His knowledge of the game is top notch, obviously, or else he would not be paid like he did. We are both guys from Virginia. We understand what Washington is like. We understand the legacy of the old school or what it was in the 90’s or early 2000s. Some of the struggles, some of the highs, the lows, we respect that. We want to see this program be the best it possibly can be for a long time.”

On if already having COVID-19 swayed his opinion either way on getting the vaccine or not:

“It didn’t really change my opinion either way. Obviously, everyone has their own thought process on it. As long as you’re educated on it you can make your own decision.”

On how it was going into camp with QB Ryan Fitzpatrick:

“I think Ryan will tell you that he has probably lost a couple of pounds since the spring so he’s feeling a little bit better, a little bit more spry. The dude’s knowledge of the game is what really shows as you start piling some more stuff on. Fitz is awesome. I hope all of you get a chance to be really tight with him and talk to him a lot. His energy just glows. I am really excited to see what we can do with him this year.”

On how the fans being back gave a boost to the team :

“Absolutely. Last year in Ashburn, it had a different feel to it from anything that I made in the league. [WR] Terry [McLaurin] made a few plays out there and you could hear the crowd cheering. The defense tipped a couple balls or [CB] Jimmy Moreland had an interception, you could hear the crowd cheering. That’s the stuff that was missing last year. It brings a little energy, a little liveliness to practice. Honestly, it is a pick me up when you start to get a little tired and a little bit dogged out. It is wonderful having them back. Obviously, any time you can have your family around, it’s a blessing. For me and my kids, they can come out here and see 85 grown men working the way we are. It shows what you can accomplish with hard work. It is something that is unmatched. I am thankful to have everyone around.”

On when he had the moment of awe on how far he has truly come:

“There is a couple of people that I really relied on. Number one, my wife. My mom, my grandmother and grandfather and my uncle. Those are the people that I really fell on and had my conversations with. All of them have lived with some sort of adversity and hard times. Being cut, however many times I have been cut, seven different teams, sometimes you start to doubt yourself. There has been multiple times where I have asked myself if I still wanted to do this. They are the ones that keep pushing me along. It comes full circle and I find out the contract is coming, I am able to share it with the people that have helped me through it and have taken care of me. It really happened not last night, but the night before is when I really knew. It was one of the conversations that I really had with people. ‘I really appreciate you guys and it wasn’t possible without you.’ I don’t know if it has fully hit, but it definitely hit a little bit.”

On where his game goes from here:

“The next level of my game is helping others around me and not just worrying about myself. I know I am going to be here for at least a couple more years. For me, if I can grab a guy and make him just five percent better off of something I can show him, it makes our team better. If I can get a better understanding and full grasp of the offense and one of those occasions where someone doesn’t know what they are doing, they ask and I can help them a little, it makes the team better. For me, it is just keep doing what I have been doing, get better, get better, get better, get one percent better every day, but if I can help make someone else get better, like they say, [QB] Tom Brady makes everyone around him better, Michael Jordan made everyone around him better. I am not comparing myself to those guys but if you can take care of someone beside you, that is really the making of a leader.”