Michael Thomas
#2 WR,
Free Agent
ACTUAL 2022
51 FPTS
RANK: 115
2023 SEASON
191 FPTS
RANK: 36
AGE
30 yrs
HEIGHT/WEIGHT
6'3'' / 212 lbs
COLLEGE
Ohio State
| SEASON | GP | FPTS | RANK | TARGET | RECPT | REYD | RETD | REAVE |
| 2023 | 14 | 191 | 36th | 108 | 77 | 850 | 5 | 11 |
| 2022 | 3 | 51 | 115th | 22 | 16 | 171 | 3 | 10.7 |
| 3yr Ave | 8 | 153 | 47th | 80 | 63 | 721 | 3 | 11.44 |
Suspension lifted
Published: 2024-09-11
Thomas (suspension), who remains a free agent, had his one-game suspension lifted by the NFL on Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Thomas will now be eligible to play and participate in all club activities if he can sign with a new team. It remains to be seen whether the 31-year-old veteran will find such an opportunity, though, after he spent the entire offseason as a free agent. Thomas racked up 39 catches for 448 yards and one score last season, while playing in the Saints' first 10 games before suffering a knee injury, though he now appears healthy.
Fantasy Points by Week 2022
Weekly Stats 2022
| Fantasy Points | Betting | Receiving Stats | Routes Run | |||||||||||||||||||||
| WEEK | STADIUM | GAME | RANK | TARGET | SPREAD | O/U | TRGT | REC | YD | TD | AVG | AIR | YAC | DROP | 10+ | 20+ | 50+ | SHARE | SLOT | TIGHT | WIDE | |||
| 1 @ATL | Dome 77° | 22.7 | 8th | 4.54 | -6.0 | 42.5 | 8 | 5 | 57 | 2 | 11.4 | 10 | 1 | 17% | 2 | 2 | 0 | 25% | 17% | 0% | 83% | |||
| 2 TB | Dome 85° | 18.5 | 19th | 3.08 | 3.0 | 43.5 | 9 | 6 | 65 | 1 | 10.8 | 10 | 1 | 0% | 5 | 0 | 0 | 23% | 17% | 0% | 83% | |||
| 3 @CAR | Outdoor 69° | 9.9 | 47th | 1.98 | -2.5 | 40.5 | 5 | 5 | 49 | 0 | 9.8 | 8 | 2 | 0% | 2 | 0 | 0 | 13% | 17% | 0% | 83% | |||
Performance Splits: 2020 to 2022
| Fantasy Points | Receiving Averages | |||||||||||||||||
| LOCATION | STADIUM | GP | GS | GM | TOUCH | RANK | TRGT | REC | YD | TD | AVE | AIR | YAC | DROP | 10+ | 20+ | 50+ | |
| Home | Dome | 4 | 4 | 3.0 | 1.43 | 6th | 8.3 | 5.0 | 53 | 0.3 | 10.7 | 9.0 | 1.7 | 5% | 2.8 | 0.3 | 0.0 | |
| Away | Outdoor | 4 | 3 | 2.9 | 1.82 | 12th | 6.3 | 5.5 | 59 | 0.0 | 10.6 | 8.5 | 2.2 | 0% | 2.5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | |
| Away | Retractable Dome | 2 | 1 | 10.6 | 2.22 | 16th | 9.5 | 7.0 | 81 | 1.0 | 11.6 | 10.1 | 1.5 | 7% | 3.5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | |
Career Stats by Season: 2016 to 2022
| Fantasy Points | Receiving Stats | Routes Run | |||||||||||||||||||||
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | GP | GS | TOTAL | RANK | TRGT | REC | YD | TD | AVG | AIR | YAC | DROP | 10+ | 20+ | 50+ | SHARE | SLOT | TIGHT | WIDE | ||
| 2016 | 23 | NO | 15 | 12 | 256 | 7th | 121 | 92 | 1,137 | 9 | 12.4 | 7 | 5 | 4% | 48 | 18 | 0 | 18% | 12% | 0% | 88% | ||
| 2017 | 24 | NO | 16 | 14 | 259 | 6th | 149 | 104 | 1,245 | 5 | 12.0 | 8 | 4 | 3% | 50 | 22 | 0 | 28% | 19% | 0% | 81% | ||
| 2018 | 25 | NO | 16 | 16 | 316 | 6th | 147 | 125 | 1,405 | 9 | 11.2 | 7 | 4 | 2% | 53 | 17 | 1 | 29% | 25% | 0% | 75% | ||
| 2019 | 26 | NO | 16 | 15 | 375 | 1st | 185 | 149 | 1,725 | 9 | 11.6 | 8 | 4 | 4% | 73 | 17 | 0 | 33% | 25% | 0% | 75% | ||
| 2020 | 27 | NO | 7 | 5 | 84 | 189th | 55 | 40 | 438 | 0 | 11.0 | 9 | 2 | 2% | 19 | 5 | 0 | 11% | 22% | 0% | 78% | ||
| 2022 | 29 | NO | 3 | 3 | 51 | 115th | 22 | 16 | 171 | 3 | 10.7 | 9 | 1 | 6% | 9 | 2 | 0 | 5% | 17% | 0% | 83% | ||
Handed one game suspension
Published: 2024-08-30
The NFL suspended Thomas (knee) on Friday one game for violation of the personal conduct policy, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Thomas, who currently remains a free agent, won't be eligible to play Week 2 of the 2024 season due to discipline relating to an incident from fall of 2023. The 31-year-old veteran spent the entire offseason without a new home after being cut by the Saints back in March, and it remains to be seen whether he'll suit up this season even once his suspension is lifted. He played the first 10 games of 2023 with New Orleans before going down with a knee injury.
Becomes a free agent
Published: 2024-03-13
Thomas (knee) is now a free agent, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports.
His contract was a bit confusing, with Thomas technically signed beyond 2024 but having some unusual bonuses that ensured his release. He's now free to sign with any team, having been cut loose by the Saints and designated as a post-June 1 release, per Luke Johnson of The New Orleans Times-Picayune. There hasn't been any update on the knee injury that cost Thomas the final seven games of 2023.
Will be cut soon
Published: 2024-03-07
The Saints plan to release Thomas (knee) soon, Jeff Duncan of The Athletic reports.
The structure of Thomas' contract all but guarantees he'll be released before March 13 when the new league year starts. He turned 31 a few days ago and has been with the Saints since they took him in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft, but he's played just 20 games in four years since setting a league record with 149 receptions in 2019. Thomas averaged 117.5 catches for 1,378 yards and eight touchdowns over the first four seasons of his career, before an ankle injury Week 1 of 2020 started his run of misfortune. A knee injury cost him the final seven games of 2023, but there hasn't been any report of Thomas needing surgery.
Tallies 39 catches in 10 games
Published: 2024-01-14
Thomas (knee) caught 39 of 64 targets for 448 yards and one touchdown in 10 games during the 2023 season.
Thomas struggled to stay on the field due to injuries for the fourth season in a row. The 30-year-old wideout appeared in double-digit games for the first time since his record-setting 2019 season, but he still missed the final seven contests of the year while on IR with a right knee injury. Thomas continued to put up similar numbers on a per-reception basis compared to the majority of his career, averaging 11.5 yards per catch. But, his overall production was curbed by the presence of Chris Olave, who has taken on a role as the Saints' No. 1 receiver since being selected in the first round of the 2022 Draft. Thomas finished with one fewer reception despite seeing nine more targets than the 2020 season when he played just seven games, and he has now come short of 500 receiving yards for the fourth year in a row. He will enter the final season of his five-year, $96.25 million contract, and he is currently set to cost about $12.4 million against the Saints' cap number in 2024.
Not ready to practice
Published: 2024-01-03
Coach Dennis Allen said Wednesday that Thomas (knee) isn't ready to return to practice, Sean Fazende of Fox 8 New Orleans reports.
Thomas thus appears unlikely to be designated for return from injured reserve due to the right knee injury that he sustained Week 10 at Minnesota. The Saints are vying for a spot in the postseason, but if that doesn't come to pass, Thomas seems destined to finish this season with 39 catches (on 64 targets) for 448 yards and one touchdown in 10 contests.
Not practicing
Published: 2023-12-27
Thomas (knee) isn't practicing Wednesday, Matthew Paras of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.
It come as no surprise after coach Dennis Allen's comments Tuesday made it sound unlikely that Thomas would be back this week. The wideout has missed five games and is eligible to return from injured reserve at any point now.
Unlikely for Week 17
Published: 2023-12-26
Saints head coach Dennis Allen was non-committal Tuesday about Thomas' (knee) status for Sunday's game in Tampa Bay, though the expectation is that the wideout won't practice this week, Luke Johnson of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.
Thomas has already been sidelined for six weeks and has missed five games with the right knee injury he suffered in a Nov. 12 game against the Vikings, but the Saints haven't provided much of an indication that he's close to a return. The wideout was eligible to have his 21-day evaluation window opened last week, but the Saints didn't clear him to practice at any point, and he doesn't appear set to resume on-field work this week, either. With Thomas trending toward another absence, the Saints will be left with A.T. Perry, Keith Kirkwood and Lynn Bowden as their depth options behind starting wideouts Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed.
Won't have window opened Week 16
Published: 2023-12-18
Thomas (knee) won't have his practice window opened prior to Thursday's game against the Rams, Mike Triplett of New Orleans.Football reports.
Thomas has spent the requisite four weeks on injured reserve, so his 21-day practice window can be opened at any point moving forward. The veteran wide receiver isn't ready to return yet, and coach Dennis Allen was unable to provide a return timetable for Thomas on Monday. After Thursday's game, the Saints won't play again until Dec. 31 in Tampa Bay.