Even in the midst of an 0-12 season, Joe Thomas wants to remain a Brown.
The nine-time Pro Bowl left tackle is frequently the subject of trade talks, but wants to be one of the few core pieces that remains in place for the rebuild.
“I’m a Clevelander,” Thomas told ESPN The Magazine via Pro Football Talk. “I’ve spent the majority of my adult life here. Every day when I come to work, it’s ‘Let’s turn this team into a consistent winner.’ Because it would be such a special story. It would be like when the Cubs won the World Series.”
For most of the 20th century, the Cubs were regarded in Major League Baseball the same way the Browns are regarded now in the NFL. On the other hand, the Browns’ last championship was 52 years ago, so their wait hasn’t been half as long as the Cubs’ 108-year wait.
The 32-year-old Thomas doesn’t have 56 years to wait for another championship. This Cubs-like storybook ending that he envisions would have to play out in about five or six years for him to get his ring while he’s still playing.
While the Browns are about as far away from a championship as possible, Thomas came very close to winning a Super Bowl ring last year. He was almost traded to the Broncos. Brown’s agent, Peter Schaffer, said that the two sides “ran out of time.”
So instead, Thomas now has endured the most losses among active non-special teams players. He passed Steve Smith Sr. with his 109th career loss when the Giants beat the Browns in Week 12.
But Thomas must believe the franchise is doing what needs to be done for those “L”s to eventually turn into “W”s.
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