Browns give Pro Bowler Thomas US$3m raise
Injured Pro Bowl tackle Joe Thomas has received a US$3 million raise from the Cleveland Browns.
Thomas recently had surgery for a season-ending triceps injury. A team spokesman said on Saturday that the Browns had agreed to the pay bump before Thomas, a 10-time Pro Bowler, was injured and they'll stick to their plan.
Thomas will get a US$1.5-million roster bonus this season and a US$1.5-million increase to his 2018 salary, pushing it to US$10.3 million.
ESPN first reported the raise for Thomas, who had never missed a play in his career — a streak of 10,363 consecutive snaps — before he was hurt during the third quarter of a loss to the Tennessee Titans on October 22.
The 32-year-old originally signed a seven-year, US$80.5 million deal through the 2018 season.
Before having surgery, Thomas said he would wait until after the season before deciding if he would continue playing.
Meanwhile, Liberian-born linebacker Tamba Hali, fighting back from knee injuries, was activated on Saturday by the Kansas City Chiefs ahead of their National Football League game on Sunday (Monday China time) at Dallas, AFP reported.
Hali, 34, had been on the physically unable to perform list. He practiced on Friday with the team for the first time since the end of last season.
Hali could help the Chiefs (6-2) ease the loss of linebacker Dee Ford against the Cowboys (4-3). Ford has been ruled out for the game after suffering a back injury in Kansas City's 29-19 win on Monday over the Denver Broncos.
Hali has made 89.5 career sacks, sharing 44th on the NFL all-time list. He made 34 tackles and 3.5 sacks playing in all 16 games for Kansas City last season.
After leaving Liberia at age 10 to escape his homeland's civil war and be with his father, Hali turned to American football in hopes of raising money to bring his mother to the United States. He became a US citizen in 2006.