The New Orleans Saints plan to say goodbye to one of their all-time great receivers.
According to Jeff Duncan, the Black and Gold are preparing to release Michael Thomas after only playing in 20 games during the last four seasons. The new NFL league year begins on March 13.
After a stellar rookie season, setting the record for receptions in a single season, and once being named the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year, Thomas struggled to stay on the field over the last few seasons with nagging injuries and issues from the surgeries to repair those injuries.
This should come as no surprise, but it’s still a poor ending for what looked to be a lifelong career in the Big Easy at one point in time. The second-round pick appeared in 10 games in 2023 for the Saints, catching 39 passes for 448 yards and a touchdown before missing the final seven games with injury.
There’s no question there will be a market for Thomas, who has proven to be a top target when healthy. However, that will be the major question interested teams will have. Can the former star stay healthy enough to be a contributing factor?
With the emergence of Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and the late play of rookie AT Perry, the Saints feel like they can move on from Thomas now and further help their cap situation for this offseason, which was the highest cap number in the league.