Browns HC Hue Jackson Says They’re Not Trading LT Joe Thomas, Despite Rumors

October 24, 2016

Update:

Browns HC Hue Jackson told reporters on Monday that they have no plans to trade LT Joe Thomas, despite the recent reports that he’s available for a second-round pick.

“We are not going to trade Joe Thomas,” Jackson said.

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Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports that it’s possible the Browns will actually trade Pro Bowl LT Joe Thomas ahead of this year’s trade deadline. However, Florio says that 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.

Of course, there’s still a chance that Thomas could stick with the Browns for the remainder of the season with Cleveland shopping for the best offer during the offseason.

Previous reports have said that Thomas won’t request to be traded ahead of this year’s trade deadline on Nov. 1 and he would instead prefer to remain with the team, even though they’re currently winless and in the midst of a rebuild.

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 six games for the Browns and was rated by Pro Football Focus as the No. 9 offensive tackle out of 75 qualifying players.