NFL power rankings: 30 richest active players

16. Joe Thomas – $108,350,000

Incredibly, a member of the Cleveland Browns has been the best player at his position during his NFL career. Joe Thomas has not missed a game for the Browns since the team took him with the third overall selection in the 2007 NFL Draft, earning ten Pro Bowl nods in the process. While his team has been absolutely terrible, Thomas has been a constant in the lineup, and should find himself in Canton, Ohio one day.

After the Browns made him the No. 3 pick, they quickly signed what was expected to be the cornerstone of the offensive line for years to come. While Thomas as been all that and more, the team has not put talent around him, making him one of the more frustrated superstars in the game. Still, Thomas has been loyal to the Browns, and in 2011, he signed a contract extension with the team that was good for seven years at $80.5 million. Of that money, $28.5 million of it was guaranteed, making him the highest paid offensive lineman on our list.

While Thomas is certain to be in the Hall of Fame one day, you have to wonder if he is eventually going to get tired of all the losing in Cleveland. Thomas is a seven-time First Team All-Pro, and it will be interesting to see what he does when his contract is up in 2019. It is possible he hangs them up for good at that time, and if he does, he will go down in history as one of the best offensive tackles we have ever seen.