Seahawks: Joe Thomas trade rumors won’t go away

Nov 30, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns tackle Joe Thomas (73) against the Baltimore Ravens at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Ravens won 33-27. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 30, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns tackle Joe Thomas (73) against the Baltimore Ravens at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Ravens won 33-27. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Joe Thomas to the Seattle Seahawks trade rumors won’t go away despite there being little reason for them to persist.

Are the Seattle Seahawks trying to acquire Cleveland left tackle Joe Thomas? There are probably less than 10 people on Earth who know for certain, but that has stopped the internet from pushing this rumor for quite some time.

Here is what we know:

  1. The Cleveland Browns are rebuilding, and an Thomas will be well past his prime before they’re ready to compete.
  2. Seattle currently has one of the worst offensive lines in NFL history.
  3. The rest of Seattle’s roster is Super Bowl ready, so fixing the line keeps the championship window open.
  4. Nothing else. There’s been no report of the two teams actually talking.

Connecting the dots here is pretty easy. The problem is that dot-connected rumors tend to have a short lifespan. They come and go quickly since there is nothing else to support them.

That hasn’t happened here. In fact, the opposite has happened. The rumbling have grown louder, and even the national media has begun discussing the possibility.

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There is also the fact that the Seahawks aren’t the only team where dot-connecting makes sense. Carolina’s OTs cost them a Super Bowl title last year. The Vikings would be another great landing spot as they look to take the next step and become a major power in the conference.

And yet, neither of those teams, or any of the other contenders, are repeatedly tied to Thomas in trade rumors the way Seattle is. Why is that?

Perhaps it is Seattle’s level of desperation. Perhaps it is John Schneider’s willingness to “go big” on the trade market.

Three years ago the Seahawks traded for the dynamic but crazy Percy Harvin. Last year they traded for the dynamic but blocking-challenged Jimmy Graham. Clearly, John Schneider doesn’t have any reservations about making a big splash on the trade market.

Whatever it is, the rumors continue to persist. They won’t go away, even as Cleveland continues to deny they’ve any interest in trading him.

And so, here we are: trying not to take these rumors seriously and yet wondering why they won’t go away. Only John Schneider and Pete Carroll know what the plan is to fix their terrible offensive line, and they aren’t sharing that info.