Amid reports indicating that the Browns are considering trading for veteran left tackle Joe Thomas, veteran left tackle Joe Thomas has spoken in unequivocal terms.
He doesn’t want to be traded.
“I’m not a quitter,” Thomas said after Sunday’s loss to the Cardinals, via Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “I’m not a guy that gives up on my goals and my goal from day one was to be part of the turnaround here and that hasn’t changed. . . .
“The reality of it is we’re right now a 2-6 team and the trade deadline is coming up. If you’re a team that doesn’t have a winning record I imagine it happens all the time where teams will call up your team and find out if you’re available for a trade. It’s happened in the past with me in my career. But it’s out of my control. I want to be here. I want to finish my career here. I want to be part of the turnaround here. That’s the way it is sometimes, you’ve got to control the things you can control.”
The Browns control Thomas through 2018, and they’d take no cap charge by trading him. One high-level source with neither the Browns or Patriots guessed that Thomas could be sent to New England, but that was an uninformed dart throw, not a statement reflecting any inside information.
The Patriots have lost left tackle Nate Solder for the season. Thomas would cost $9.3 million in 2016, $9.8 million in 2017, and $9.8 million in 2018.