Cleveland, OH (92.3 The Fan) – Joe Thomas is returning to the NFL.
On television.
The former Browns’ 10-time Pro Bowl left tackle has officially joined NFL Network and will serve as a pre and postgame on-set analyst for the Thursday Night Football package this coming season.
“I am thrilled to join NFL Network and Thursday Night Football,” Thomas said in a release from NFL Media. “Throughout my playing career, I quickly realized there are few events which can rival the excitement and action of primetime NFL games, and having the chance to be a part of that atmosphere each week is something I greatly look forward to.”
In addition to his Thursday Night Football duties, Thomas will appear on NFL Network’s coverage of major league events, including Super Bowl LIV, the NFL Scouting Combine and the NFL Draft, as well as various NFL Network programs such as NFL Total Access and NFL GameDay Morning.
After retiring in March 2018, Thomas auditioned to become an analyst for Monday Night Football and made multiple appearances on NFL Network but with a new child added to his family, he decided not to take a full-time broadcast job.
Thomas was part of NFL Network’s broadcast last September when the Browns beat the Jets 21-17, ending a 19-game winless streak and he was part of the network’s schedule release coverage last month.
Thomas’ broadcasting star began to rise late in his career when he appeared in several comedic shorts for the Browns’ website, including ‘The Joe Thomas Hour – the best 2-minutes of your life’ in which he interviewed fellow teammates and employees as well as NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
Thomas also launched a podcast with former Browns receiver Andrew Hawkins, creating The ThomaHawk Show podcast, which was an instantaneous hit and eventually was added to LeBron James’ highly successful Uninterrupted multimedia platform.
After being selected third overall in the 2007 NFL Draft, Thomas made the Pro Bowl in each of his first 10 seasons and he played 10,363 consecutive snaps before a torn biceps tendon ended his 11th NFL season – and ultimately his career – prematurely.
The Browns have already paid tribute to Thomas by enshrining 10,363 into the team’s ‘Ring of Honor’ at First Energy Stadium and it is presumed that Thomas will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer when he becomes eligible in 2023.
Upon Thomas’ retirement the local chapter of the Pro Football Writers of America voted unanimously to re-name the player of the year award given to the most outstanding player each season in his honor.
