Category: Michael Thomas

Michael Thomas restructures his Saints contract; what it means, and what it doesn’t mean

Michael Thomas restructures his New Orleans Saints contract; what it means, and what it doesn’t mean with complicated 2023 offseason ahead:

Here’s the first domino of the New Orleans Saints’ offseason — and their 2022 campaign still isn’t over. ESPN’s Field Yates reports that wide receiver Michael Thomas agreed to a restructured contract with the team that significantly lowers his 2023 salary cap hit by dropping next year’s base salary from $15.5 million down to the league minimum at $1.165 million, folding the difference into a massive roster bonus of $31.755 million.

Still with me? It gets more complicated. That $31.755 million won’t be paid out until 2024, but it becomes fully guaranteed on March 17, 2023 (the third day of the new league year). To incentivize Thomas into agreeing to this deal and remain compliant with CBA rules, he was given a signing bonus equal to his normal game check of $902,941. So what’s the big-picture idea here?

Let’s break it down by asking two questions: what this move means, and what it doesn’t mean:

Michael Thomas has something to say about Bills’ handling of Josh Allen injury

Michael Thomas has something to say about Bills’ handling of Josh Allen injury

Well that’s something. A major storyline across the NFL this week has been the Buffalo Bills’ handling of an elbow injury for franchise quarterback Josh Allen — who didn’t participate in practice all week, wasn’t seen on the field for warmups on Sunday morning, and was still activated for their Week 10 game with the Minnesota Vikings.

Now ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that “Bills officials spent a lot of time this past week leaning on the advice of their doctors and other arm specialists, and the team was reassured that Allen is not at risk to make the injury worse if he plays.”

It’s a curious approach, made curiouser and curiouser by a remark from New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas on social media. Thomas commented in response to this news from his official Twitter account that, “That’s how you do it.”

Thomas, of course, is ending his second consecutive season with the Saints on injured reserve after suffering a dislocated toe early in 2022; he missed the entire 2021 season after a setback in ankle surgery to his other foot. It all started in 2020 when he injured that ankle in the season-opener and played through it to try and help the team’s playoff push in Drew Brees’ final year, which didn’t help his health. Thomas and the Saints are still feeling the ramifications of that move years later.

So what’s his point in remarking on Allen’s situation? Did the Saints ignore advice of their doctors and push Thomas to keep playing back in 2020? Or did those doctors advise him to keep playing without concern for a worsened injury? All of those conversations happened behind closed doors in meetings no one reading this was privy to, but it’s hard to believe that Thomas isn’t reflecting on his tumultuous last few years as another big name in the league experiences a similar situation. If Allen is going to play through this injury, let’s hope it works out better for him and the Bills than it did for Thomas and the Saints.

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Alvin Kamara fires back at Michael Thomas critics after latest injury update

Saints captain Alvin Kamara fired back at Michael Thomas critics after his latest injury update, saying “it hurts my soul to see that”

Alvin Kamara has really come into his own this season as one of the leaders on the New Orleans Saints’ roster. Sure, he’s a five-time Pro Bowler and the face of their franchise, but 2022 was the first year in which he earned a captain’s patch on his uniform. And he’s shouldered that new responsibility well in demanding greater accountability in the locker room and defending his teammates from unfair criticism in speaking with the media.

The Saints sent wide receiver Michael Thomas to injured reserve this week after resting him for five games, teeing him up for surgery on a dislocated toe that’s likely going to end his season. It’s led to troubling comments online  questioning his commitment to the team and suggesting he’s tapped out after having signed a contract extension. Kamara acknowledged the frustration — this is the third year in a row Thomas has missed significant time with injury — but pushed back against the critics doubting his teammate’s motivation.

“It’s a lot of shit we’ve got to go through,” Kamara told ESPN’s Katherine Terrell, pointing out that fans don’t see the long, painful hours in the trainer’s room working on injury rehab. He added, “A player like that, that’s fighting to get back, not only for his team, but for the fans and for this city … For people to be talking shit, it’s like, ah, it hurts my soul to see that.”

Kamara said that Thomas was optimistic he’d be active for the Raiders game, having taken the team doctors’ advice to rest his injured toe and receive treatment. But the dislocated digit didn’t heal as everyone involved hoped that it would after a recent MRI scan, prompting a change of plans. Thomas is still following doctor’s orders. It’s not like he’s gone rogue again and stopped talking to the team for months.

He’s as frustrated as anyone, which Kamara has seen firsthand. More from his conversation with Terrell: “Nobody’s in here like ‘Let me get injured and not play and just get paid.’ We get paid to play obviously and we want to be available but when you can’t do it, there’s certain things you’ve got to be smart about.”

What’s next for Thomas is anyone’s guess. Things can’t continue as they have considering his contract status. There’s a very real and unfortunate possibility that he’s already caught his last pass in a Saints uniform. But if things work out to where he continues to wear black and gold, Kamara has made it clear he’ll be one of the first teammates to welcome Thomas to their locker room.

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Why the Saints should stand pat at the trade deadline

Buy, sell or stay? Why the New Orleans #Saints should consider standing pat as the trade deadline passes, via @RossJacksonNOLA:

Teams have three options at the trade deadline: become sellers, become buyers, or simply stand pat and do nothing. It might not be sexy, but the New Orleans Saints may want to consider the third option above pursuing new players and certainly before shipping anyone out. The Saints proved their team has what it takes, when they put everything together, to compete with their current roster.

If it is true that they expect injured players like wide receivers Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry and star cornerback Marshon Lattimore back this season, their “trade deadline acquisitions” may already be built in. If (and only if) those players are on the mend, this strategy could be just as effective as pursuing the level of talent they could afford to bring in.

Consider not only getting Thomas, Landry and Lattimore back but also returning tight end Adam Trautman and potentially getting first-round left tackle Trevor Penning in the mix for the stretch run of the season. Those are boosts at some quality, if not premier, positions. New Orlean must also keep their future in mind as well. I’m not sure this team can go full “Los Angeles Rams-style Les Snead” in their approach and start carelessly parting with draft picks. Not as the roster is currently constructed. Those days may be behind general manager Mickey Loomis and the Saints, at least for the short term.

While the team may be able to add draft capital this offseason with a hypothetical Sean Payton head coach trade, if you can’t plan for it, don’t sacrifice the assets. On the other hand, New Orleans could look to be sellers. But the restructured contracts on their roster make it extremely challenging to get quality trades done. Some dead cap hits the team would be able to stomach, particularly with players that may not be expected to be retained this offseason. But the list is short. Outside of gathering some late-round selections (or trading some away) it’s hard to see where the Saints could make a quality move that in turn moves the needle for them.

There are certainly places where the roster could use some help. Running back makes a ton of sense with veteran back Mark Ingram expected to miss time with an MCL injury. Defensive interior could be an interesting place to try and bolster and if the expected returns of the aforementioned wideouts is delayed in any way, that changes everything. But for now, as all is presently understood, it may be in the best interest of the Saints’ future to be mere spectators as the deadline passes.

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Report: Saints targeting Week 6 Bengals game for Michael Thomas return

Report: Saints targeting Week 6 Bengals game for Michael Thomas return

The 2022 season didn’t start off like Michael Thomas — and many New Orleans Saints fans — hoped. He looked like his old self in their first couple of games, bullying opposing teams’ top cornerbacks after a long-awaited return from 2020’s frustrating ankle injury. Then he was knocked out of Week 3’s game with the Carolina Panthers due to a toe injury, which has since been listed as foot issue on the injury report. Thomas traveled with the team to London but was unable to practice ahead of their Week 4 game with the Minnesota Vikings, and he’s continued to be a non-participant ahead of Week 5’s game versus the Seattle Seahawks.

Now, ESPN’s Adam Schefter has a Sunday morning splash report that  says Thomas is targeting Week 6, saying that Thomas is “likely to be bale to return” against the visiting Cincinnati Bengals. If Thomas was dealing with turf toe (and that’s the likeliest injury it could have been, though we’re guessing here) it lines up with the typical recovery timeline for a Grade 2 injury. Grade 1 turf toe, the lowest, usually clears up in about a week; Grade 3, the severest, can sideline a player for two to six months and often requires surgery — as was the case for rookie left tackle Trevor Penning.

A Grade 2 turf toe injury would have sidelined Thomas for at least two weeks — that’s how long it takes the swelling to go down so that you can even wear a shoe comfortably, much less run and cut and hit the practice field. If he’s able to at least practice on a limited basis during the week ahead, he’ll have a good chance at returning to play in Week 6’s game with Cincinnati (and his old teammate Eli Apple, who Thomas infamously worked in practice when they were in college together at Ohio State).

But the Saints have a very short turnaround in Week 7, traveling to face the Arizona Cardinals for a Thursday night kickoff. The team’s new medical staff has been cautious with most injuries so far and may not want to rush him back into playing two games in five days. It’s something to watch out for on the Week 6 injury report, but for now all eyes are on Week 5’s home game against the Seattle Seahawks.

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Jameis Winston again doubtful in final Saints injury report vs. Seahawks

Looks like it’ll be the Andy Dalton show for the second week, this time though Alvin Kamara expects to be back on the field for the Saints, via @RossJacksonNOLA:

It looks like it will be back-to-back weekends of the Andy Dalton show for the New Orleans Saints. Quarterback Jameis Winston (doubtful with back and ankle injuries) has not been present for practice all three days this week. He’ll likely follow the same cadence as last week, being downgraded on Saturday before Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks.

In addition, wide receiver Michael Thomas will miss his second -straight week. That means it will be another Chris Olave-heavy gameplan in the passing game as the rookie wideout continues to impress. Despite not having Thomas again, the Saints will be with some key firepower this week.

Running back Alvin Kamara is listed as questionable for now, but has vocalized his expectations to take the field this weekend. The 2017 offensive rookie of the year has had a ton of success against the Seahawks in the past totaling 55 touches and over 300 scrimmage yards in their last two meetings. The full Saints injury report:

83% of NFL experts pick Vikings to beat Saints in London Week 4 matchup

83% of NFL experts are picking against the New Orleans Saints without key weapons on offense, via @RossJacksonNOLA:

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There is not a lot of confidence in the New Orleans Saints as they get set to square off with the Minnesota Vikings in London, England. According to surveying done by NFL Pickwatch, 83% of pro football experts, media outlets, and fan blogs are picking the Vikings to steamroll the Saints across the pond. The 66% deficit is the sixth-largest across all Week 4 NFL games.

It’s understandable why the Saints are being undervalued in this matchup, though. Starting quarterback Jameis Winston is out while dealing with several injuries and backup signal caller Andy Dalton will make his first start for New Orleans. Dalton will be the team’s seventh starting quarterback since the 2019 season.

One of the largest factors when the team has had a backup quarterback in the mix has been wide receiver Michael Thomas. The all-pro wideout caught over 80% of his passes in 2019 with Teddy Bridgewater at signal caller and again in 2020 when Taysom Hill filled in for an injured Drew Brees. Thomas will not be available for Dalton today, and that could pose problems for the Saints offense which has struggled to tie together long drives.

On top of Thomas being out, star running back Alvin Kamara will also be missing from the Saints offense. That means New Orleans will be looking to veteran wide receiver Jarvis Landry and 12-year NFL running back Mark Ingram to lead their passing and rushing attacks respectively.

The good news for the Saints? They are 2-0 in regular season matchups here in the United Kingdom and are on a much more restful schedule than Minnesota who did not arrive in London until Thursday. It will be up to a calculated and meticulous offensive approach paired with a dominant defensive showing for the Saints to pull off the upset at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

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Michael Thomas surpasses Joe Horn, ranks No. 3 among Saints receptions leaders

Michael Thomas surpassed Joe Horn on Sunday to rank No. 3 among the Saints’ all-time receptions leaders. Only Eric Martin and Marques Colston are still ahead of him:

Michael Thomas made New Orleans Saints history on Sunday, totaling 5 catches for 49 yards against the Carolina Panthers, converting 3 first downs. Those added to his career numbers, which mean he’s up to 526 receptions in a Saints uniform — he’s now surpassed Joe Horn (523) to rank No. 3 among the franchise’s all-time receptions leaders. Only Eric Martin (532) and Marques Colston (711) are still ahead of Thomas.

So he’s got a realistic shot at lapping Martin in the near future, though that hinges on the severity of his new toe injury. He was questionable to return on Sunday before the team later downgraded his status, so we’ll hope that was a precautionary move. It’s something to watch out for when the first Saints injury report drops on Wednesday.

As for Thomas’ standing in the record books: he’s now up to 6,121 receiving yards, which trails Horn (7,622), Martin (7,854), and Colston (9,759) for the all-time lead. The expanded regular season could give him a real shot at reaching 7,000 yards if he maintains his current pace, but it’ll be close. It depends on whether he misses time with this toe injury or if anything else gets in the way, and whether the Saints passing game can truly find its footing.

Still, it goes to show how special his talent is, even after injuries kept him sidelined for most of the last two seasons. More consistent quarterback play will do a lot to help his case, but Thomas is still on track to end his Saints career as one of the finest receivers to ever wear black and gold.

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Two years of frustration for Michael Thomas is almost behind him

Two years of frustration for Michael Thomas is almost behind him. He may be officially questionable, but our @RossJacksonNOLA would be stunned to see him sidelined on Sunday:

On Sunday, the New Orleans Saints will kick off their highly-anticipated 2022 regular season by traveling to take on the Atlanta Falcons. A focal point for that return to the gridiron will be the wide receiver corps the Saints will march out. Over the offseason, New Orleans has completely revamped its wide receiver room with the additions of veteran free agent Jarvis Landry and rookie sensation Chris Olave.

The proverbial cherry on top should be the return of All-Pro receiver Michael Thomas. While he was listed as questionable on Friday’s final injury report, all signs seem to point to the record-breaking wide receiver making his long-awaited return against the division-rival Falcons. As with all injuries, a veil of uncertainty lingers over Thomas’ hamstring issue which has kept him off the field since the Saints’ open practice in the Caesars Superdome on Aug. 22. But if Thomas does not make his return Sunday afternoon, I would be astonished. Bewildered, even.

Thomas discussed the long road of recovery from his injury when he surprised us all the first time this offseason by participating in the team’s first training camp practice. “You’re going to run into some adversity,” Thomas told New Orleans media. “I always was taught it’s about how you respond, how you come out on the other end. I took pride in that challenge.”

The road to returning has not been easy for Thomas. Following the opening-game ankle injury nearly two years ago (two days shy of the exact date), there were differing opinions of the ailment’s severity and best path toward recovery. Unfortunately, the opinion Thomas received that he could move forward without surgery did not come to fruition, instead leading to a late surgery that landed him on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list ahead of the 2021 season. That surgery had complications which led to a corrective procedure, and ended his 2021 campaign before it could even begin. Thomas shared his reasoning at length:

“When you go to a doctor to get an opinion, the doctor is going to give you an opinion. You go to two doctors, one person has an opinion, another person has an opinion. You have the right to pick an opinion. So if one of the opinions is ‘You can rehab your ankle and it should be good by camp.’ and I’ve never had surgery, then I’m going to stick with that one. If that one doesn’t work, then I’m going to go with the second one. And that’s pretty much how it worked.”

The wideout fought through the injury throughout the 2020 season but now has not taken a snap since Jan. 17, 2021, the Saints’ playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Some have argued that means there is no way for Thomas to return to his 2019 level of production. But that seems a little short-sighted. Is that even what the Saints are looking for from the elite pass-catcher?

While Thomas told us that he’s “Trying to top that,” when it comes to his NFL-record 149 receptions in 2019, it’s not necessary he does so. If the Saints got even just his 2016 rookie  production of 92 catches for 1,137 receiving yards and 9 touchdown catches, they will be in a great place on offense. With the additions of Landry and Olave, there are a lot more mouths for quarterback Jameis Winston and offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael to feed this year. But despite those new weapons, Winston knows what he needs to do when Thomas is on the field.

“I think, when you have an elite receiver like Mike,” Winston told me. “Just get him the ball. Put the ball around him ad he’s going to make plays.” That type of trust will only deepen between the quarterback and receiver as the season goes along. If the two produce in the process, it should lead to more than just good vibes in New Orleans. It should lead to wins.

Thomas was visibly happy this week as we wandered through the locker rooms during open media availability. That happiness was hard to ignore while he was speaking to media as well. First at his locker before casually sitting on the countertops in the middle of the room, taking questions from reporters.

“That’s the goal,” Thomas said of playing this weekend in Atlanta. There has just simply been nothing about his demeanor that suggests he’s received any bad news this week, despite being officially limited on the injury report and questionable for Sunday’s game. Follow that up with the open practice windows wherein Thomas looked to be moving well, cutting violently and not holding back on his drill reps, and there’s too much evidence to eschew optimism.

Despite some pessimism scattered about, things look to be headed in the right direction for Winston, Carmichael and the Saints to have their full complement of receivers tomorrow, The quarterback and receiver duo has only a handful of passing attempts between them, stemming back to the 2020 matchup with the San Francisco 49ers when Drew Brees was injured and Winston led the second half. If Thomas takes the field on Sunday, as I and many anticipate, they should quickly surpass that, possibly even in catches rather than attempts.

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Report: Michael Thomas expected to play vs. Falcons in Week 1

Report: Saints’ Michael Thomas expected to play against the Falcons in Week 1

Here’s cause for optimism. The New Orleans Saints still need to navigate a week of practice before kickoff with the Atlanta Falcons, but NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that they’ll have star wide receiver Michael Thomas making his long-awaited return at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday. Rapoport shared what he’s learned during a Tuesday appearance on the “Pat McAfee Show.”

“So I believe Michael Thomas will go, and we’ve talked about that before,” Rapoport said, interrupted by McAfee exclaiming that “it’s a big deal.” Rapoport agreed and continued, “I think it’s a big deal, Dennis Allen kind of said it. I think he’s gonna go and I think he’s gonna be really good. I drafted him on my fantasy team, so if he was really good that would be really great.”

Thomas has been sidelined for most of the last two years with a complicated ankle injury, which didn’t respond well to surgery late last summer. Friction between the player and team has been smoothed over under Allen’s management, and he was enjoying a productive training camp until a hamstring injury suffered in practice against the Green Bay Packers prompted the Saints to put him on ice. Now that he’s well-rested and getting back up to speed, it sounds like Thomas is set for a triumphant return in Week 1. But we’ll wait and see what Wednesday’s initial injury report has to say.

They’ll need him, if he’s in the clear. Jameis Winston hasn’t completed a pass to Thomas before in his NFL career, and having Thomas resembling anything close to his old self would be huge for new arrivals like Jarvis Landry and Chris Olave. When he’s been at his best, Thomas has demanded attention from defenses and made life easier on everyone around him. Without Sean Payton and Drew Brees at the helm, it would sure be reassuring to see Thomas bullying opponents like fans grew used to watching in his heyday.

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