Browns news: Joe Thomas jokes about Cleveland as he retires

The Cleveland Browns recently said goodbye to a legend with Joe Thomas announcing his retirement. As Thomas adjusts to his post-playing days, the seven-time All-Pro has some interesting comments.

The Cleveland Browns have been one of the most active teams in the offseason thus far. However, none of the blockbuster moves they've made have overshadowed the retirement of longtime left tackle Joe Thomas.

It goes without saying that Thomas has been one of the best players in the NFL over the past decade. The Browns legend gave a heartfelt retirement speech to those in attendance at his press conference. However, he managed to throw in a few jabs at his former associates as well, according to Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com:

“This offseason, there were a lot of people that reached out to me when they heard I was considering retirement,” he deadpanned. “One of the guys who actually talked to me was Kyle Shanahan. He put together a 32-point slide presentation in a PowerPoint telling me why I needed to come back; unfortunately, that did not work. Ray Farmer tried to text me but it was during a game, and unfortunately, he was suspended for that. Eric Mangini wanted to reach out to me because I had a couple years with him and he thought it was important to hear a few things from him, but unfortunately, he said I was going to have to ride eight hours with him on a bus to Connecticut if I wanted to hear all about it so I turned that down.”

Thomas' sense of humor through all the years of struggles is part of what has made him one of the most well-liked players in football. Needless to say, the Browns have not had much luck in years past. However, they struck gold when they selected the big man with the third overall pick 2007 NFL Draft.

Thomas comes from a rich tradition of Wisconsin offensive lineman and was able to carry over that prestige to the next level. Cleveland has been the worst team in football over the last decade. However, beneath all that turmoil was one of the best players in the NFL. Thomas retires as one of the most decorated players in franchise history as a 10-time Pro Bowler and seven-time First-Team All-Pro.