Browns Have “No Intention” Of Trading LT Joe Thomas

Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer has been told that the Browns have “no intention” of trading LT Joe Thomas in the coming weeks.

An executive tells Pluto that while Thomas may not be the best left tackle in the NFL, he’s clearly in the conversation.

“I don’t know if Joe is still the best left tackle, but he’s in the conversation,” the executive said. “And his contract is reasonable for a player of his caliber.”

Last week, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk wrote that the Browns should finally trade Thomas by the upcoming deadline, given that the team is currently 0-5 and has made an attempt to get younger while “stockpile picks” over the past year.

Thomas admitted a month ago that he was surprised there wasn’t more trade buzz surrounding him, considering that his name has come up the past few years as a trade candidate.

“I’m surprised it hasn’t started already,” Thomas said. “I’m sure you’ve been stirring the pot a little bit. No, I look forward to that trade deadline every year because then I can stop answering the question about do you want to be traded or do you think you’re gonna get traded?”

Florio suggested the Seahawks being a potential landing spot for Thomas,  considering that they’ve shown some recent interest in free agent OT Branden Albert and have struggled up front this year.

Thomas, 32, is a former first-round pick of the Browns back in 2007. He’s currently in the seventh year of his eight-year, $92 million contract that includes $44 million guaranteed and stands to make base salaries of $8.8 million over the final two years of the agreement.

In 2017, Thomas has appeared in all six games and is rated by Pro Football Focus as the No. 2 offensive tackle out of 71 qualifying players.