Sean Payton continues to push back against reports that the New Orleans Saints are contemplating a Michael Thomas trade, with the head coach’s latest retort easily the most comical.
There has been rampant speculation that the Saints are open to dealing the supremely talented wide receiver, but the team has put on a united front in an effort to dispel such rumors.
One of the more recent reports concerning whether the Saints will move Thomas before the Nov. 3 trade deadline came this week from Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
The NBC Sports insider relayed Monday that while Thomas is unlikely to be dealt, there have been efforts to drum up interest and potentially an offer.
Florio’s report Monday is something of a walk-back from his earlier reporting, which Payton humorously pointed out with a social media dispatch reacting to a PFT tweet.
Payton’s response? A GIF showing a guy riding a bike backwards. In other words, Payton is trolling Florio over the backpedaling nature of his report.
Payton’s snarky tweet follows one just a few days earlier in which he dispelled another Thomas trade report by replying, “Insiders on the Outside where they belong” in response.
Thomas is in the throes of a frustrating and controversial season following a phenomenal 2019 campaign. The two-time First-Team All-Pro missed three games after suffering a high ankle sprain in Week 1. He was then sidelined for the Saints’ Oct. 12 game after being suspended by the team over an altercation during practice with a teammate.
Then, a hamstring tweak in practice last week upon his return to the team resulted in him missing Sunday’s win over the Carolina Panthers.
Whether or not the Saints do indeed trade Thomas — which would result in a $20 million cap hit — remains to be seen, but Payton sure seems to be enjoying throwing shade at the reporters and media outlets who are passing along information about the resulting speculation.
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