CLEVELAND -- Over the course of his 11 seasons as the Cleveland Browns' left tackle, Joe Thomas became plenty familiar with different coaching styles. After all, the future Hall of Famer played for six different head coaches in his NFL career, which he brought to an end with his retirement last week.
Appearing on Sirius XM radio on Tuesday, one day after his official retirement press conference, Thomas was asked who his favorite head coach to play for was. The 10-time Pro Bowl selection proceeded to give an interesting answer, stating that it was the Browns' current coach, Hue Jackson, who he enjoyed playing for most.
"I think Hue Jackson was probably my favorite," Thomas told Sirius XM. "His combination of football knowledge, motivation, discipline, and fun relationships was probably the best out of the coaches. He made walking into the building fun."
Thomas' answer might be a surprising one, considering the Browns won just one of the 22 games in which he played for Jackson from 2016-17. Despite Cleveland ultimately laying claim to a 1-31 record over the course of the past two years, the Browns opted to bring Jackson back for a third season -- something Thomas has been a big proponent of.
In the days following Thomas' retirement, Jackson has publicly hoped for his team's now-former franchise tackle to change his mind. During his interview on Sirius XM, however, Thomas made it clear that he was standing strong in his decision.
"I'm pretty done. I can't imagine any scenario in which I come back. I feel very comfortable in my decision," Thomas said. "I'm sure there will be days where I wish I was able to go out there and play, but my body's in the position and my mind's in the position where I know I just can't do it anymore and I feel like I've accepted that right now."
