Joe Thomas has not made it known he wants out of Cleveland, but as the 0-7 Browns have predictably floundered in another rebuilding year, the left tackle doesn’t seem to have a place on the team. And trade winds are blowing again around the perennial first-team All-Pro.
Several teams are interested in the 10th-year edge protector, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports, and all would give Thomas a chance to play in the playoffs for the first time in his career.
Florio reports the Patriots, Cardinals, Giants, Seahawks and Vikings have varying degrees of interest in a potential Thomas deal. But the Browns likely will keep him through Week 8, with the deadline a day after their clash with the Jets. The team owes its longest-tenured player $488K in Week 8; Thomas is under contract through 2018.
The Browns are eyeing a second-round pick for the six-time All-Pro lineman, a source tells Florio. That would be a worse haul than what they could have received last year, when the Broncos submitted a proposal including 2015 first-rounder Shane Ray and a second-round pick. Thomas will turn 32 in December, so his days of being a top-tier blocker are winding down. But he’d certainly be an upgrade on numerous teams’ left tackle situations.
Florio adds the chances the Browns move Thomas are lower than they were a year ago, and teams’ cap space in taking on Thomas’ contract will be an issue. The 6-foot-6 blocker does not have any guaranteed money left on his deal and will make $10MM in 2017 and ’18. As Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap points out (Twitter link), teams would only need to possess around $4.9MM in 2016 cap space to trade for Thomas. The Giants and Patriots are safely under that mark, while the Seahawks (at $5.931MM) are to a lesser degree. Both the Vikings (league-low $426K in cap space) and Cardinals ($2.171MM) aren’t.
If the Browns get to the point they’re willing to take what they can get for Thomas, Florio notes the Patriots would be interested in being his landing spot. The Pats and Browns already made a deal that sent the Browns’ 2013 first-round pick, Barkevious Mingo, to New England earlier this year. New England placed Sebastian Vollmer on the PUP list due to nagging hip problems that are expected to keep him out all season.
Minnesota’s line has not performed well and placed both starting tackles, Matt Kalil and Andre Smith, on IR. However, the Vikings traded their first-round pick next year for Sam Bradford and recently added Jake Long. Mike Zimmer, in criticizing his offensive line, said (via Florio) the team doesn’t plan to make any more additions up front.
It’s been reported on multiple occasions Thomas will not ask for a trade. But with the Browns having already parted with several veterans, not playing for anything in the short term and showing with their most recent draft moves how much they covet draft picks, a deal would make sense either this season or before the 2017 draft.
Get him patriots
Thomas should stay a Brown for life. If they trade him, my 50+ years rooting for them will end.
Why? So they get no compensation for a career that’s ultimately worth absolutely nothing? No success whatsoever. Yeah, he was a good, sometimes great (not anymore), player on horrendous teams. Because his teams were so pathetic, he’ll likely be overlooked for a while when it’s time to vote for the HoF. If he played on a team that was successful during the time of his career (Packers, Patriots, Broncos, Steelers, Ravens, Giants, Colts, etc.) he would probably only have to wait 2, 3, or 4 years to get in and would be viewed as an all time great. If he stays in Cleveland for the rest of his career that is displaying incredible stupidity. Why would he do that? Winning is light years away. He’s already past his prime, has been for a while.
lol. They waited way too long to trade him. Another blunder by a once average (SO long ago) franchise. What a joke
That was last year as they have a new and competent FO (finally) instead of the old Farmer regime
Competent? Are you kidding? The front office wants to be analytics-focused. Hue Jackson has publicly said he is not an analytics person. They clearly work so well together that at almost the half way point of the season, they have 0 wins.
They could have had 1 win though…but the front office didn’t want to spend the money to bring in a competent kicker. So they went with the cheap guy, who cost them a game.
Even last year, Thomas was still past his prime and beyond the point where he would bring a big return.
The Browns will be picking in the top 3 spots in the draft. They will mess up that pick and all of their other picks, just like they always do. Then the front office and coaching staff will be fired (probably after next year) and they will once again be saying they “have it right” when they hire the new guys. Then the cycle will repeat itself.
The whole franchise is so bad from top to bottom, the NFL should consider forcing a move. It worked for the Ravens. Not that Baltimore is a nice place, but the Baltimore slums are clearly a better place for an NFL team than Cleveland. If the Browns moved, changed their name, got new ownership, new FO, new coaching staff, then maybe they could be successful.
You say they will mess that pick up when the draft hasn’t even started yet, which clearly shows you are a moron, and also the Browns have been (finally) getting good production from a draft class (2016). You cannot judge a FO or coach after less than a year especially when they started off with a awful squad in the first place
Time to bet on it, Seahawks!
Like Joe Thomas, he’s past his prime and not worth much. Maybe a 3rd at best? Most likely a 4th. But Baalke, the league’s best GM (lol), probably wants a 1st! Not sure how Baalke even has a job.
He will get a 2nd most likely
If your looking for an intense OT then it’s either Thomas or Staley, Staley is a great run blocking LT, where as Joe Thomas is a better pass blocking LT. Pick your poison!
After last night Seattle needs to offer a 2nd and a 7th and Schneider will give the FO some draft advice too. Maybe help set up the big board through the first 3 rounds. That should be worth as much as the picks to them. Seattle needs tackles heck after last night I was almost ready to give them a first for him knowing it was an over pay.
Trade him. By the time this team is any good he’ll b 40.
And get what you can for Haden. But he rides a mean stationary bike.
The Minnesota Vikings need help very badly in their Offensive Line and it showed against the Philadelphia Eagles. Vikings here’s your man! Get him!