With the NFL trade deadline one day away, the influx of names swirling in the rumor cyclone will increase.
NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported Sunday that the Cleveland Browns have engaged in discussions about potentially trading left tackle Joe Thomas and center Alex Mack.
Thomas, the backbone of the Browns franchise, one of the team leaders and most well-liked people in the entire city of Cleveland, would rather not be traded from the team that drafted him No. 3 overall in 2007.
"I'm not a quitter," Thomas said, via The Plain Dealer. "I'm not a guy that gives up on my goals and my goal from day one was to be part of the turnaround here and that hasn't changed."
Despite being on a perennial loser, being moved to a team that could use an offensive line boost to push itself toward Super Bowl contention doesn't interest Thomas.
"The reality of it is we're right now a 2-6 team and the trade deadline is coming up," Thomas said. "If you're a team that doesn't have a winning record I imagine it happens all the time where teams will call up your team and find out if you're available for a trade. It's happened in the past with me in my career. But it's out of my control. I want to be here. I want to finish my career here. I want to be part of the turnaround here. That's the way it is sometimes, you've got to control the things you can control."
Mack dismissed the report saying "that's a question for my agent" and that he's "never paid attention to the trade stuff."
Whether he's paid attention or not, his, and other names, will be discussed as we move closer to Tuesday's deadline.
