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Browns' Joe Thomas: 'I want to be in Cleveland when we make the playoffs'

Andrew Weber / Reuters

At 30 years old, Cleveland Browns left tackle Joe Thomas knows his career is winding down.

"I'm not naive to the fact I turned 30 last year and this is my ninth year and I'm probably a lot closer to the end than the beginning," Thomas told Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com.

"They always have to be ready for the end of my career because nobody knows when it will be. But certainly you can't just say 'Joe Thomas will be there forever.'"

Thomas may not be with the Browns forever, but he also can't imagine himself playing anywhere else.

"The optimism that I have right now, I feel I'm on a team that can make the playoffs with a franchise quarterback," he said. "I certainly don't want to be traded. If I ever got to that situation, I guess I would have to live with it and make the most of it. But, I want to be in Cleveland when we make the playoffs."

At this point, it's unclear whether the Browns have a franchise quarterback on their roster. Johnny Manziel has failed to live up to expectations so far and early reports out of training camp haven't been positive toward the 2014 first-round pick.

Then there's Josh McCown, who has yet to start 16 games in a single season and is coming off a disastrous 1-10 campaign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Thomas likes what he's seen from the journeyman, though.

"I've been so impressed with Flip (offensive coordinator John DeFilippo) and Josh (McCown)," Thomas said. "The way Josh handles himself, the way he throws the ball, the way he gets the offense. He plays the quarterback position the way it's supposed to be played. It's so enjoyable being out there with him."

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