NFL legend reveals why eating 'real food' after retirement led him to raise his own beef

As the new NFL season kicks off Wednesday night, Pro Football Hall of Fame offensive lineman Joe Thomas is spending much of his time on a different kind of field. Thomas, the former Cleveland Browns offensive tackle famous for playing an NFL-record 10,363 consecutive snaps, has traded the trenches for tractors and cattle at Hall of Fame Farms, his roughly 4,100-acre operation in Wisconsin. For Thomas, farming was an ambition long before his playing days were over. CYCLOSPORA FEARS ARE SENDING SHOPPERS TO FARMERS MARKETS FOR LOCAL PRODUCE "I grew up outside of Milwaukee, did not grow up on a farm, but always just had a passion for being outside," Thomas said in a recent Fox News interview. "And then when I had the opportunity to go into the NFL, I said if there's only one thing I get out of the NFL, I want to be able to buy my own piece of dirt. I just want to have my own little farm." Thomas bought the original 1,200-acre property in 2012, while he was still playing for the Browns, and began with just five cows and a bull. Today, the operation encompasses about 4,100 acres, Thomas told Fox News, and raises hundreds of cattle, with an increasing focus on Wagyu beef. His interest in raising his own food intensified after his 2018 retirement. No longer needing to maintain the massive frame required of an NFL offensive lineman, Thomas said he lost weight and began paying closer attention to nutrition. "I wanted to try to focus on my health and be more intentional about eating real food," Thomas said. "And, so, I lost about 70 pounds when I retired, and I thought, 'Hey, what a great way to also know where my food came from.'" CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER His unusual second career has also attracted attention in Washington. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins recently visited Hall of Fame Farms and praised the former NFL star as an example of someone who entered agriculture without growing up in the industry. "He started with five mama cows and a bull," Rollins said. "So, it's not like he came in and wrote a giant check and became a hobby farmer. Like, he literally built this thing from nothing." CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE NEWS Thomas also joined Rollins at the White House as President Donald Trump signed two executive orders last week aimed at supporting U.S. ranchers. Fox News Digital reached out to the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation for comment. TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ Thomas hasn't left football entirely. He's continued to work in broadcasting and remains connected to the sport that made him a household name in Cleveland. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP But as NFL players begin another season chasing wins on Sundays, Thomas' post-football pursuit is increasingly taking shape hundreds of miles away from an NFL stadium — raising cattle and building the Wisconsin farm he once dreamed of owning.