CLEVELAND -- Joe Thomas brought an end to his Hall of Fame career on Wednesday when he announced his retirement from the Cleveland Browns.
It won't be long, however, until the left tackle is enshrined at FirstEnergy Stadium.
According to the team, Thomas will join the Browns' Ring of Honor during a home game this season. But rather than his jersey number, 73, Thomas will be represented by a different number: 10,363.
That was how many consecutive snaps the 10-time Pro Bowl selection played between the first game of his rookie season in 2007 until Week 7 of the 2017 season, when a torn triceps brought his season -- and in turn, his career -- to an end. It is believed to be the longest consecutive snaps played streak in NFL history.
“Joe has been a pillar of our organization and one of the greatest to put on a Cleveland Browns uniform,” Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam said in a statement. “We want to thank him for everything he has done for the Browns and the Northeast Ohio community. We should all strive for the standard Joe has set to always be available, put the team above yourself and always give maximum effort.
"One of the first ways we will acknowledge and honor his accomplishments is to enshrine the number 10,363 to recognize his consecutive snaps streak in the team’s Ring of Honor at a home game this season. It also won’t be long before he takes his rightful place down the road in Canton at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.”
Added Browns head coach Hue Jackson: "To play 10,363 consecutive snaps, what a tremendous accomplishment. I don’t know if something like that will ever be matched again.”
Although he is now retired, Thomas likely won't be hard to find for Browns fans. Earlier this offseason, he reportedly auditioned for an analyst role with Fox Sports -- something he confirmed to WKYC.
After that, it won't be long -- likely just five years -- until he is enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. But first, he'll be honored in the stadium where he played the bulk of his NFL record consecutive snaps.
