To say the Saints’ Michael Thomas extension has not worked out is probably putting it mildly. The star wide receiver missed all of last season and, due to injuries in 2020, has not been on the All-Pro level in the past two years.
Despite Thomas upsetting Saints brass by delaying an offseason surgery last year, he remains in New Orleans' 2022 plans, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Thomas has returned to New Orleans and has been in communication with the team’s new coaching staff. While this does not guarantee the veteran pass-catcher a spot with the Saints next season, the team could certainly use him.
The Saints struggled for most of this past season at receiver, having cut Emmanuel Sanders and seen Thomas suffer a setback that prevented him from playing at all during the year. Thomas, who will turn 29 in March, has two First-Team All-Pro seasons on his resume. Both, of course, came during Drew Brees‘ New Orleans tenure. The Saints are entering a second straight offseason with uncertainty at quarterback, but a Thomas return would do a lot to help the team’s passing attack — if the former second-round pick can stay healthy.
Thomas led the league in receptions in 2018 and ’19, breaking Marvin Harrison’s single-season record by catching 149 passes during the latter season, but he has missed 26 games since the start of the 2020 campaign. He is attached to a $15.35M base salary in 2022. Thomas’ cap number is also set to spike from $10M to more than $24M next season. The Saints are once again on their own tier in terms of cap compliance, or lack thereof, sitting more than $70M over the projected 2022 cap. Thomas already converted part of his 2021 salary into a bonus to help New Orleans’ cap situation, moving more money onto the final three years of his deal.
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