Joe Thomas is joining the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend thanks to a prestigious 11-year career with the Browns. But if fellow Hall of Famer Peyton Manning had his way, Thomas would've forced a trade to the Broncos at the tail end of his NFL run.
"Ryan Clady, their All-Pro left tackle, he had been injured," Thomas recently explained to ESPN's Adam Schefter. "And so they were looking for a replacement. Because ... they had a roster that went on to win the Super Bowl. But they were like, 'Hey, Peyton, you're not exactly a spring chicken anymore, so we need somebody that's really solid.'
"They kinda went back and forth with the Browns for a while," Thomas continued. "I think they found some reasonable trade compensation, but it was one of those things where ... there was a lot more downside of trading me. There was some trepidation about making that deal and being the one that sent me out of town."
In the end, Thomas stayed with the Browns, played another two seasons and was grateful to "play my entire career for the Cleveland Browns fans." Manning and the Broncos, meanwhile, finished 12-4 in 2015 and won Super Bowl 50 against the Panthers, giving Manning the second and final Lombardi Trophy of his career.
But it didn't stop Manning from pressing hard to lure Thomas ahead of the 2015 trade deadline.
"(He said to me) 'Hey, Joe, I think you should go up to your GM's office and make a stink. Literally, I want you to go up there, pull your pants down and make a stink on his desk because that's the only way Cleveland is going to trade you. That's the only way you're gonna be able to get out of town. ... I think we could win a Super Bowl this year.'"
