Multiple GMs Still Believe Browns Are Willing To Trade LT Joe Thomas

Jason Cole of B/R has spoken to multiple NFL GMs who believe the Browns will be willing to trade Pro Bowl LT Joe Thomas ahead of Tuesday’s deadline.

Yesterday, Browns HC Hue Jackson said that they aren’t going to trade Thomas, despite a number of reports that surfaced saying that he was on the trading block.

The GMs who spoke with Cole believe Browns CP Sashi Brown will eventually trade him. According to Cole, Brown made multiple calls last year to teams about a deal involving Thomas and should they get decent value him for him, the expectation is that he could be moved.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk previously reported that it’s possible the Browns will actually trade Thomas ahead of this year’s deadline but real obstacles remain regarding a potential deal.

According to Florio, the Vikings would “very interested” in Thomas but they’ve already traded away their first-round pick for QB Sam Bradford and have a limited amount of cap space to work with. With this in mind, Florio says that the Vikings are a “long shot” to get Thomas.

Meanwhile, Florio says that Cardinals, Giants, and Seahawks have “varying degrees” of interest in Thomas. A source tells Florio that the Browns are looking for a second-round pick in return for Thomas.

If the Browns are looking for the best available deal, Florio mentions that the Patriots could be a landing spot for him.

Should Thomas end up being traded, Florio says that a deal would likely happen at the deadline and after Cleveland pays him another $488,000 for Week Eight.

Thomas, 31, is a former first-round pick of the Browns back in 2007. He’s currently in the sixth year of his eight-year, $92 million contract that included $44 million guaranteed and stands to make a base salary of $8.3 million for the 2016 season.

This season, Thomas has appeared in seven games for the Browns and was rated by Pro Football Focus as the No. 8 offensive tackle out of 75 qualifying players.

We’ll have more regarding a potential trade involving Thomas as the news is available.