Peyton Manning told Joe Thomas to “make a stink on the Browns GM’s desk” to force trade to Broncos
Peyton Manning told Joe Thomas to “make a stink on the Browns GM’s desk” to force trade to Broncos
- Joe Thomas will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday
- The 2015 Super Bowl-winning Broncos wanted to trade for the 8x All-Pro
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
Joe Thomas will enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a lifelong Cleveland Brown, but had he dropped his pants, as Peyton Manning suggested, it wouldn’t have happened.
Thomas, who played 11 seasons on almost always struggling Browns teams, was a target for the Broncos while Manning was under center.
In an effort to force a trade during the 2015 season, the sheriff assumed Thomas would drop a deuce on GM Ray Farmer’s desk.
“It was like, ‘Hey, Joe, I think you should go to your GM’s office and stink.”
“Literally I want you to go upstairs, pull your pants down and stink on his desk because that’s the only way Cleveland will trade you,” Thomas told Adam Schefter.
Joe Thomas hilariously revealed that Peyton Manning suggested he soil the Browns GM’s desk
Thomas is inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame after 11 seasons as a lifetime Brown
The eight-time All-Pro revealed that the 2015 Broncos’ desire to acquire him came after an injury to their left tackle Ryan Clady.
“They were like, ‘Hey, Peyton, you’re not exactly a spring chicken anymore, so we need someone who’s really solid and can block your blind side.'”
Manning’s Broncos went on to win Super Bowl 50, while Von Miller and Co. Cam Newton and a raging Panthers charge wrecked.
Thomas said Denver and Cleveland had reached a point where trading terms were fair, but the Browns couldn’t pull the trigger.
“I think there were potentially a lot more downsides to trading me as I was the longest serving member and quite popular within the Browns fanbase,” he added.
“While I think the preliminary fee was fair, there was some trepidation about making that deal and being the one to send me out of town.”
It would have ended an incredible drought for Thomas who didn’t play in a single postseason game. Famously, he played 10,363 snaps without a playoff appearance.