Joe Thomas announces his retirement from Browns

The Cleveland Browns are rebuilding one of the worst teams in football but will have to do it without long-time tackle Joe Thomas.

The NFL is a brutal game played by men at the height of their athletic prowess. When a player plays a position like offensive line, it’s always impressive when they’re able to form long careers. The Cleveland Browns had on of those players in left tackle Joe Thomas, who appears to be ready to walk away from the game.

Thomas is one of the best NFL lineman in recent NFL history and is a lock for the Hall of Fame when he becomes eligible. Despite playing on a horrific team for far too long of his career, Thomas managed to make it to the Pro Bowl 10 times and was an All-Pro in six of those years. He was the model of consistency, going over a decade before he missed his first NFL game. This past season was the first time Thomas wasn’t suiting up on Sunday as he tore his triceps. One muscle put an end to the iron man streak of 10,363 straight snaps for Thomas.

Thomas is a player that is sure to be in high demand by the media for a post-playing days career. his opportunity will be bountiful with his personality and wit, as any spot that covers football would love to have the PR of Thomas doing commentary for them.

For the Browns, this does weaken their offense. You can’t lose a player the caliber of Thomas and just find the next man up. It’s a huge blow to their offensive line in general and they’ll be looking to fill the void through free agency and the draft.

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Everyone knew Thomas’ days in the NFL were limited at the age of 33. Many Browns fans will miss him dearly and wish him well in his next venture and it could be a long time before Cleveland has a player at that level again.