METAIRIE — Despite securing a significant jump in pay, Michael Thomas reported to New Orleans training camp on Thursday still looking to earn every additional penny on his pay check.
The Saints star wide receiver secured a $100 million contract, including $61 million guaranteed, on Wednesday which made him the highest paid wide receiver in the NFL. With his holdout over, Thomas showed up for training camp the following day and was ready to get back to work.
“Yes sir and I have to earn it too,” Thomas said. “I feel like I have been earning that and that is what I am going continue to do. That is how I approach the game. I set high goals and I want to live up to them.”
Thomas added, “So I feel like, you cannot really find that out about a person from (a) Q and A or maybe watching at practice and we have to really know the person. I know deep down in my heart and my gut that I love playing this game. I love competing and competing with the best.”
For Thomas, part of that competition is to go up against his teammates at training camp which he did on Thursday. Thomas admitted how much he missed doing just that after missing the first week of practices due to the contract holdout.
“Missing the reps and competing against my teammates knowing that if I win, a guy across from you got better, or if he wins, then you know, I got better and there’s ways to coach off of that,” Thomas said. “The development and becoming a better player and a great player, you can’t do that sitting at home.”
Thomas though wasn’t the only member of the black and gold that was thrilled that the record-setting 6-foot-3, 212-pound wide receiver is back once again lining up as part of the Saints’ high-powered offense.
“He’s an important part of what we do offensively,” Saints head coach Sean Payton said. “He is experienced. I felt real positive. I knew Mike was going to come in in good shape. It’s good to have him back. It’s good to see them out there moving around.”
“It is awesome, great to have him back,” Saints quarterback Drew Brees said. “I knew it was only a matter of time. I think the timing is good, getting back in the fold. We’re still at the beginning I think of our install for the most part so he came in today as if he’s been here the whole time and so all good.”
The timing between Brees and Thomas has been historic the past three seasons.
The former Ohio State star holds the NFL record for most receptions by a player through his first three seasons, and he also led the league in receptions in 2018.
In his three seasons in the NFL, the man nicknamed “Can’t Guard Mike” has accumulated 3,787 receiving yards, 23 touchdowns while earning Pro Bowl honors twice (2017, 2018) and first-team All-Pro honors once (2018).
“He is a strong target in traffic,” Payton said Thursday. “He is one of those guys that has a good radius for the quarterback. He’s a guy that really works at his craft relative to the whole week leading up to the game. His strength is run after the catch. Those are all things that I think he does very well.”
Another thing that Thomas does immensely well in his short professional career is utilize slights and turning those into motivation. In the case of the former second-round draft pick, using teams passing on him to become the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL.
“I have always been motivated by slights and yes, for sure,” Thomas said. “I come from a competitive family. My uncle is the first receiver drafted in 1996 overall at number one. When I was drafted, it was what it was. It was the second (round) and stuff like that, but I had to control it and now we both have a little something to talk about. Just being a competitor and when you set high goals, there is rewards on the end of it.”