Joe Thomas explains why he didn't request trade from Browns

Retired offensive tackle Joe Thomas has explained why he never requested a trade away from the Cleveland Browns throughout what will soon become a Hall of Fame career. 

"I didn’t want to be traded, so I wasn’t gonna do it," Thomas told Scott Petrak of The Chronicle-Telegram. "My mindset was, I wanna stay here. I believe in the direction we’re headed. I love Cleveland, I love the people. I’m very, very happy here and I feel like I have unfinished business." 

Dave Hogg once mentioned for SB Nation how the Denver Broncos and quarterback Peyton Manning wanted to land Thomas ahead of the trade deadline in the fall of 2015. Back in November 2021, Thomas told a story about how Manning recommended that he take a drastic and disgusting step to get traded from Cleveland to Denver. Such a transaction never occurred, but Manning ultimately guided the Broncos to a victory over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 in February 2016. 

Thomas, meanwhile, earned 10 Pro Bowl and six First-Team All-Pro nods while playing only for the Browns from 2007 through the 2017 season. He retired without logging a single playoff appearance. 

"I always remember my dad, when we’d watch football on Sundays, he’d talk about that guy’s been with the (Green Bay Packers) his whole career," Thomas continued during his conversation with Petrak. "And that left an impression on me as if it was something that was important and the connection between that player and the city, it’s different when they’re there their entire career and they decide to be there. When I did retire, I had chances to reflect on how cool it is to be able to be one of the few guys in NFL history nowadays that start and finish in the same spot." 

Thomas is essentially guaranteed to be announced as a member of the 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame class in his first year of eligibility on Thursday night. While he'll forever go down as a Browns legend, one wonders if he has at least some regrets about not earning a championship ring alongside Manning knowing he could've later retired with Cleveland via a one-day contract.