Thomas was director of player personnel for the Minnesota Vikings and the Miami Dolphins in the 1960s, staying with the latter until after the 1971 season, when he was fired by team owner Joe Robbie. Prior to the next campaign, he arranged for Robert Irsay to purchase the Los Angeles Rams for $19 million before exchanging them for Carroll Rosenbloom's Baltimore Colts in the most bizarre transaction in NFL history. As a result of this deal, Thomas became general manager of the Colts. After a 5–9–0 finish in 1972, the first losing record in sixteen years, Thomas began rebuilding the team, albeit controversially. It all started on January 22, 1973 when Johnny Unitas was traded to the San Diego Chargers. During the next ten days, Tom Matte would follow Unitas to San Diego, Bill Curry was sent