The former All-Pro’s might’ve outstayed his welcome in New Orleans after 3 injury-riddled seasons
New Orleans, LA– 2 years removed from his record-breaking season, Saints WR Michael Thomas has been a healthy scratch. Spending most of his time the past two seasons on injured reserve, the Saints have an important decision to make apropos to Thomas’ future in New Orleans.
The team was set to pay Thomas 15.5 million dollars in 2023, a tall task for a team reeling from a 7-10 season with a lot more questions than answers. Thomas agreed to restructure his contract into one that’s more amicable towards the team, dropping his 15.5 million to 1.165 million, a huge drop off from his original pay. In addition to a massive pay cut, he is now set to receive $31.755 million in the form of a roster bonus which becomes fully guaranteed on March 17, 2023. Thomas also got a hefty sum of $902,941 this week, the same as an extra game check.
Thomas’ future has been in limbo for years now with the Saints. With a hefty part of the salary cap being paid in Thomas’ favor, the Saints have expected higher level of production from someone who has spent the greater part of 2020, 2021, and 2022 nursing various injuries. From a high ankle sprain in 2020 against the Buccaneers in Week 1 to his latest injury in 2022 with a foot injury– Thomas has been anything but a healthy scratch.
The new contract puts the ball in the Saints’ court in terms of what to do with Michael Thomas moving forward. This isn’t precedent with the team either, the same deal was offered to and done with both Drew Brees and Malcolm Jenkins before they subsequently retired. Per @neworleansfootball on Instagram, this means Thomas’ departure is all but confirmed. This is simply window dressing for a cut that has already happened on paper with the official move pending.
The deal also guarantees the urgency and swiftness that New Orleans will act upon the decision for Thomas’ place on the team moving forward. Holding him for too long will incur massive costs as the 32 million dollars structured into his contract will become due with no stipulations. When Thomas is speculated to get released, he will enter free agency immediately and the Saints will get hit for 26 million dollars of dead cap.
With the renewed contract New Orleans saves over 14 million in cap space for the 2023 season, making space for new talent to enter in. It seems if the city has already found a Michael Thomas-esque replacement in 1st round pick Chris Olave. Hitting the 1,000 yard mark in his first year in the league, Olave has already made his case to be WR1 in New Orleans.
It’s hard to find a superstar as injury riddled as Thomas, earning NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2019 along with multiple other accolades to add to his already embellished resume. Whatever team ends up signing Thomas if he is let loose, he’ll be sure to be their number one pass catcher if he can stay out of the training room.
