He played college football for the Mississippi State Bulldogs and was selected by the New York Jets in the second round of the 1999 NFL draft.
Thomas did not start playing football until he was talked into it from some of his closest friends in the tenth grade at Tri Cities High School.
Prior to his career at Mississippi State, Thomas was an All-America, All-State & all-Region selection as a two-year starter at "tight" guard at Copiah-Lincoln Community College.
Thomas was the starting right guard for the New York Jets for all 16 games of the 2002 season, clearing the path for Curtis Martin's 1,094 rushing yards on the year.
He made his 50th career start, in week five against Kansas City and helped open holes for Martin's 119 yards on the ground.
Thomas also helped pave the way for the teams 180 yards rushing and a 41–0 win over the Colts in the AFC wild card game.
Starting all 16 games in 2003, he blocked well for a group of Redskin running backs led by Trung Canidate's 600 rushing yards and was solid in pass protection for Patrick Ramsey and Tim Hasselbeck.
On September 20, 2009, Thomas suffered a severe triceps injury in a game against the St. Louis Rams, tearing the muscle completely off the bone.