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It seems like a messy new chapter in the Michael Thomas saga unfolds every other week. The latest news on the New Orleans Saints star receiver comes from Jeff Duncan of the Times-Picayune | Advocate, who reports that months passed between Thomas’ last conversation with the Saints and his June surgery.
Here’s what we know: team doctors recommended he get surgery back in January, but Thomas sought a second opinion, which proposed rehabbing the damaged ligaments without going under the knife. When Thomas and the Saints met again in March, he chose to take the second option, agreeing to pursue “progressive benchmarks” in recovery until his return to the team facility in June. But, Duncan writes, that’s where communication collapsed:
“For unknown reasons, Thomas fell out of communication with the Saints. He did not return multiple calls over the next three months. Then-Saints trainer Beau Lowery, wide receivers coach Curtis Johnson and head coach Sean Payton all tried to reach Thomas. None of their calls were taken or returned.”
Now, this isn’t entirely new information — NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill previously reported that Thomas missed a follow-up evaluation with a specialist without explanation earlier this offseason, which led to the decision for him receive surgery. But the silence between Thomas and the Saints is ugly.
It’s not unusual for players rehabbing away from the team to share updates on their progress (look at the extensive coverage Kwon Alexander provided this offseason), but it’s understandable if he missed a phone call here or there. And there’s an argument for Thomas kicking back and enjoying his offseason, and recovering on the Saints’ time instead.
That’s just not the sort of behavior expected from a franchise player. He’s supposed to be the tip of the spear for the Saints offense, a leader, and an example of how someone can do great things by virtue of hard work. He’s gotten to this point by putting in the time to refine his craft and polish his routes to perfectly execute the assignments asked of him in their scheme.
But this was an assignment he didn’t complete. Between missing his second evaluation and dodging communication with the team until it was contractually obligated to respond to them, he’s put everyone in a bind. Maybe there’s even more friction between Thomas and Payton and the rest of the organization than we’ve seen publicly. Maybe Thomas is managing personal problems. Whatever the issue is, it has to get solved soon.
For the fans calling to go ahead and kick him to the curb: the Saints can’t cut or trade Thomas this year after restructuring his contract (doing so would cost an additional $22.5 million on top of what he’s already being paid), but a move after June 1, 2022 would save them $15.7 million. If the situation continues to deteriorate and younger, cheaper options keep the offense on schedule in 2021, it’s tough to see how Thomas returns next year.
But it doesn’t have to end that way. There’s a very real scenario where both parties mend fences and clear the air and go on to continue winning games and set more NFL records. That’s not impossible. At this early stage, though, it just feels unlikely.
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