Joe Thomas had a chance to get traded to the Denver Broncos in 2015, but he wanted to stay in Cleveland and finish what he started with the Browns.
On the latest episode of Bussin' With The Boys with Will Compton and Taylor Lewan , Thomas revealed that Peyton Manning called him during the 2015 season to get the NFL Hall of Famer to approve a deal to send him to the Broncos to be Denver's left tackle, but Thomas didn't want to do so because he wanted to stay in the only place he knew as an NFL player: Cleveland.
"It was the year the Broncos won the Super Bowl. Peyton was getting older and was needing protection on the left side," Thomas explained. "I'm watching Sunday Night Football just laying in bed after a game with the wife, and I get a call from an unknown number, but it was Denver. I don't usually answer my phone after a game, but I was like, 'this is weird,' so I answered it - it's Peyton. 'Hey buddy, this is your drinking buddy from the Pro Bowl.' He was like, 'Well, hey, listen, we lost our left tackle, and I really want you to block for me, but the Browns are worried because you're kind of their franchise. They love you over there.
"We have a fair deal on the table, but Elway's telling me it's not going to get done unless you go up to your GM's office and tell him you want to be traded," Thomas said while discussing his phone call with Manning. "And I was like, that's a pretty difficult thing to turn down, but it's hard to imagine. I am happy in Cleveland. I love it here. If a deal gets done on its own merit, great; if not, I'm not willing to try and force a trade."
Once Thomas said that, Manning had another idea to get Thomas traded to the Broncos, as the Browns legend laughed while talking about it with Compton and Lewan.
"Alright, how about this: Go up into Ray Farmer's office - when he's not there, of course - pull your pants down, take a squat, and take a shit on his desk," Thomas recollected about his conversation with Manning. "That way, you don't have to say anything about it, but he has to trade you at that point. Of course, we got a good laugh out of that one. I said that we'll consider it, Peyton, and he was like, 'Alright, man, hope to see you in Denver next week.'
"Never did drop a deuce in Berea on my GM's desk."
Talk about a mic-drop moment by Thomas.
The Broncos were in search of a starting-caliber (or more) left tackle after Ryan Clady suffered a season-ending torn left ACL during OTA in May 2015.
Given that it was Manning's last season before he retired, he knew he had to have a legitimate left tackle on his blind side and wanted the best of the best to replace Clady.
The trade would have reportedly sent Thomas and the Browns' 2016 fourth-round pick to the Broncos for Denver's first- and second-rounder in 2016. Another report stated that Cleveland also asked for the Broncos' 2016 third-round pick as part of the deal.
There are many reasons Thomas will forever be a Browns legend, but this just adds to the list.
He could have easily said that he wanted to be traded, especially to a team like the Broncos after getting a call from Manning, but instead, he showed his loyalty to the place that had called him throughout his 11-year NFL career.
He retired three seasons later. In those three years that Thomas chose to stay in Cleveland rather than get traded to the Broncos, the Browns went 3-13, 1-15, and 0-16 before No. 73 hung up his cleats for good.
What a reward to stay with the team he gave so much to during his Hall of Fame career.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/browns/onsi as Joe Thomas Rejected Trade to Super Bowl Champion Even After Hall of Fame QB's Idea .
