Joe Thomas is the longest tenured team member of the Cleveland Browns. Since being drafted in 2007, the future Hall of Famer has played for five coaches and what feels like 100 quarterbacks. He’s also enjoyed only one winning season, when the Browns went 10-6 in his rookie year. Since then, it’s been mostly misery.
However, any time another failed season came and went, any time another coach was fired, Thomas just took it in stride, somehow convincing himself he should stick around under the belief Cleveland would eventually start winning.
As we all know, this has yet to happen. However, when this season came to an end, Thomas wasn’t sounding as committed to the turnaround as he used to be. Instead, he claimed he’d wait to see who the Browns eventually hired as their next coach, hinting he might want to get out of Cleveland if he didn’t like who the team brought in.
Yesterday, the Browns hired Hue Jackson, known as one of the most likable coaches in the NFL. Jackson intimated he immediately wanted to sync up with Thomas to gauge his feelings on where the team is headed.
So, since Jackson is universally liked, Thomas probably wants to stay, right? The Browns have nothing to worry about when it comes to retaining their best draft pick since 1999?
Unfortunately, this is still a very complicated matter, and it goes beyond whether or not Jackson and Thomas see eye-to-eye. Even though it seems like Thomas may stay in Cleveland, it’s no guarantee whatsoever.
First of all, even though Jackson is well-liked and seems like someone Thomas will want to play for, we still don’t know if this is a certainty. Plenty of coaches have come and gone in Thomas’ tenure, and even though this latest move seems like one of the team’s better hires, who’s to say he isn’t just completely tired of being in Cleveland?
The fact is, even though Jackson seems like he could be the coach who could turn the Browns around, there’s still so much work to be done. This isn’t a hire which turns Cleveland into an overnight contender, and it’d be no surprise if next season had more losses than wins.
At age 31, Thomas doesn’t have a ton of time left in the game. He’s still yet to see a playoff game, and the desire to actually experience such a thing may outweigh his urge to work with Jackson.
There’s another aspect to think about here, too. Even though Jackson seems to want Thomas on his roster, there’s still a possibility the Browns test the market on him, just as they did during this past season’s trade deadline.
Cleveland definitely has tons of holes to fill, and for all intents and purposes, it sounds like the plan is to fix the team through the draft. Though Thomas isn’t likely going to bring in a major haul, a team in need could be willing to part with a low first-round pick to get him — a trade the Browns have to consider.
As much as Jackson wants to keep Thomas in the fold, the team could still test the market. Yes, moving the franchise left tackle would decimate the offensive line. At the same time, if an enticing offer is made, the Browns would be crazy not to consider it.
So, despite the fact Jackson’s opening press conference seemed to indicate Thomas could be back next year, it’s hardly a certainty right now. We don’t know if Thomas wants to come back, and we also don’t know whether or not Cleveland is interested in trying to trade him for more draft picks.
What we do know, though, is that things should get interesting soon. Thomas will most likely be sought out for comment now that he’s someone the coach wants to meet with, and what the two of them decide regarding his future will be a major offseason storyline.
