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Report: Saints WR Michael Thomas Expected to Return to Team for 2022-23 Season

The wide receiver missed the 2021-22 season due to an ankle injury, and his status in New Orleans was up in the air.

Madison Williams

Report: Saints WR Michael Thomas Expected to Return to Team for 2022-23 Season
Report: Saints WR Michael Thomas Expected to Return to Team for 2022-23 Season /

Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas has not appeared in any game action in over a year due to an ankle injury that required surgery in the 2021 offseason, followed up by a second surgery in the fall.

After much speculation that his time in New Orleans could be coming to a close, Thomas is reportedly expected to remain in New Orleans in the future, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. 

Thomas stayed in New York following his second ankle surgery in the fall in order to have weekly treatments, according to Rapoport. But, now he is back in New Orleans and is in communication with the Saints organization.

“I am told they are not expected to trade him, and they want him back,” Rapoport said. “So, expect Michael Thomas back with the New Orleans Saints.”

Instead of playing for longtime coach Sean Payton, though, Thomas would return to play under new head coach Dennis Allen. 

When Payton announced he was leaving the Saints on Jan. 25 after 15 years with the franchise, Thomas tweeted multiple appreciation posts for his coach.

Thomas began his career in 2016 on the Saints, then posted four consecutive seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards. Additionally, he broke the NFL record for most catches in a season with 149 back in 2019. That same year, Thomas was named the NFL Offensive Player of the Year.

But, Thomas has struggled since the 2020 season. He dealt with various ankle injuries, causing him to play in just seven games in the last two seasons. 

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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.

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