Thompson will start 2020 season with Seahawks

HURON — Cody Thompson knows where he'll start the 2020 NFL season after the Seattle Seahawks signed the Huron native to a reserve/future contract this week.The contract essentially is a one-year deal that guarantees Thompson an invitation to training camp this summer. The versatile wide receiver also will participate in minicamp and organized team activities (OTAs) in familiar surroundings with familiar faces."I'm just happy I know I'm going back to Seattle and excited for the opportunity," said Thompson.Because he signed a reserve/future contract, Thompson can be added to the Seahawks' roster when it expands from 53 to 90 players on March 18, the NFL's first business day of 2020. The deal includes the word "future" because the 2019 season has not been completed.Thompson finished this season on Seattle's practice squad after spending the bulk of the 2019 campaign on Kansas City's practice squad before a brief stint with the Cincinnati Bengals.The former University of Toledo standout was undrafted last year before signing a free-agent contract with the Chiefs. He had a solid preseason with talent-rich Kansas City before being released Oct. 29.Thompson is convinced he's ready to take the next step and make an NFL roster this year, which would put him in line for a big pay bump from the $8,000 per week practice squad players collect."I competed well at practice (with the Seahawks)," he said. "They said they look forward to me competing. As long as you can make plays you have a shot. I'm just trying to get that opportunity. You might get two, one or none. You never know when it's going to come. I think I'm ready to play at a high level."Thompson, who started the season rooming with Chiefs rookie wide receiver Mecole Hardman at training camp, ended it at Lambeau Field last weekend with the Seahawks, who lost to Green Bay in the NFC divisional playoffs."The schedule is exactly the same, you just don't dress on Sunday," he said about the life of a practice player. "It's obviously not what I want, but nothing comes easy in this league or in life. You gotta work your way up and find the right timing."Thompson lived a nomadic life this season, renting an apartment in Kansas City, going the Airbnb route in Cincinnati and living in a hotel in Seattle."You never know when you might be relocating," he said. He hopes to stay put in Seattle when he returns to the Pacific Northwest this spring. He was impressed with the Seahawks, whose practice base is in suburban Renton."It's an amazing organization from the ownership down to the kitchen staff," Thompson said. "It's a fun environment. Coach (Pete) Carroll is awesome. I honestly never knew he was 67 or 68. He's an energetic dude, throwing the ball around in practice."Thompson said he was prepared for the NFL life, which involves plenty of player movement."You see the business side of it. You're not on scholarship," he said. "The NFL is a money-making league and everybody wants to be in it. You see that with people coming and going."Thompson said he has many friends still competing in the playoffs — the Chiefs are one victory from the Super Bowl — and that players in NFL position groups rely on each other."Everybody in the room is close. It's competitive but it's also a friendly competition," he said.After doing some traveling he plans to resume training in February. He'll spend time back on campus in Toledo and work out at Firelands Regional Medical Center's wellness center at the new Cedar Point Sports Center."It's more football specific," he said about preparing for the 2020 season. "I'm not training for the combine anymore so it translates to football."Thompson, a 2014 Huron High School graduate who went on to become an All-Mid-American Conference selection at Toledo, currently is back in his hometown, spending time with his family."I love spending time with my nieces and nephews," he said. "I've got five of them; they keep me busy." Cody Thompson, a Huron High School graduate, signed a reserve/future contract with the Seattle Seahawks. He'll compete for a spot on the Seahawks' active roster when team workouts in April.