The Browns gave left tackle Joe Thomas a $1.5 million raise for the 2018 season recently, but Thomas isn’t willing to say that he will definitely be back on the field for the team next season.
Thomas is recovering from a torn triceps, which is the first injury that’s ever kept him off the field since entering the NFL. It’s also led Thomas to think about how much longer he’ll be playing football.
Thomas said on Thursday that he still loves playing and isn’t ready to walk away if he’s healthy, which is a big if and not just because of the current injury.
“I’ve obviously had a lot of knee issues over the years and stuff that’s not fixable at this point with modern medicine,” Thomas said, via the Akron Beacon Journal. " ... Obviously, the whole body will come into play when you make that decision.”
Thomas said that the state of his body isn’t the only consideration. There’s also the state of the Browns to consider.
‘If I want to come back, if I can come back, is it going to be for trying to pursue a championship or are we trying to pursue a playoff berth or are we trying to pursue a first pick overall?” Thomas said. “Those are all things that could play into that decision.”
As of now, the state of the Browns isn’t one that suggests championships or playoff berths are in the near future although it will be some time before Thomas will be making any final decisions on either front.