33 Facts About Shamarko Thomas

Shamarko Lanell Thomas was born on February 23,1991 and is an American former professional football safety.

Shamarko Thomas played college football at Syracuse, and was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL draft.

Shamarko Thomas attended Ocean Lakes High School in Virginia Beach, and he played for the Ocean Lakes Dolphins high school football team.

Shamarko Thomas was named 2008 first-team all-state, all-region and All-Tidewater, and was a two-time first-team all-district selection.

Shamarko Thomas set school records in career tackles, interceptions and defensive touchdowns.

Shamarko Thomas led the team in tackles as a junior.

Shamarko Thomas was a track star at Ocean Lakes High School.

Shamarko Thomas earned all-state honors competing in the 100 meters, and as the anchor of the 4 x 100 meter relay that placed seventh in Virginia.

Shamarko Thomas attended Syracuse University, where he was a member of the Syracuse Orange football team from 2009 to 2012.

Shamarko Thomas was projected by many analysts to be a mid-round selection, likely going in the third or fourth rounds.

Shamarko Thomas was invited to the NFL Combine and performed well, but during his 40 yard dash, he fell.

Shamarko Thomas was unable to perform the three-cone drill due to a hamstring injury but did make it up at Syracuse's Pro Day.

Shamarko Thomas was comfortable enough with his combine performance that he chose not to do any exercises, besides three-cone drill, at his Pro Day.

Shamarko Thomas was rated fourth among 177 qualifying strong safeties by NFLDraftScout.

On May 16,2013, Shamarko Thomas signed a four-year, $2.61 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $453,152.

Shamarko Thomas entered his rookie season as the third-string backup to Pro-bowl veteran Troy Polamalu and Damon Cromartie-Smith.

Shamarko Thomas made his professional debut in the Steelers' season opener against the Tennessee Titans and finished with two tackles.

On September 22,2013, Shamarko Thomas had his first career start and finished the loss with one tackle against the Chicago Bears.

Shamarko Thomas finished his rookie season with a total of 29 tackles in 14 games and two starts.

Shamarko Thomas entered training camp battling Will Allen for the backup position behind Polamalu, and won the backup position after Allen was moved to the backup free safety position behind Mike Mitchell.

Shamarko Thomas played sparsely during the season, registering just 12 tackles in 15 games.

Shamarko Thomas entered the offseason with an opportunity to regain the starting position after the Pittsburgh Steelers decided to overhaul their pass defense after ranking 28th in 2015.

Shamarko Thomas lost the job to Golden and was slated to be his backup to begin the regular season.

Shamarko Thomas was placed on injured reserve on December 24,2016.

On June 2,2017, Shamarko Thomas signed with the New York Jets.

On October 3,2017, Shamarko Thomas was signed by the Buffalo Bills.

On July 26,2018, Shamarko Thomas signed with the Indianapolis Colts.

Shamarko Thomas was released by the Colts on August 11,2018.

Shamarko Thomas was signed by the New York Guardians of the XFL in January 2020.

Shamarko Thomas was traded to the DC Defenders in a three-team trade on January 20,2020.

Shamarko Thomas had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10,2020.

Shamarko Thomas signed with the Ottawa Redblacks of the CFL on April 19,2021.

Shamarko Thomas was placed on the suspended list on July 9,2021.