Saints GM Addresses Michael Thomas Going on PUP List

The wide receiver missed the entire 2021 season and most of the 2020 season due to an ankle injury.

After missing the entire 2021 season and the majority of the ’20 season, Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas was put on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list ahead of training camp this week.

Thomas dealt with an ankle injury in the 2020 season, followed by offseason surgery that he reportedly hasn’t fully recovered from, hence why he was put on the PUP list.

Originally, Saints coach Dennis Allen thought the wide receiver would be ready for training camp, especially after he attended OTAs for rehab purposes. So, the PUP list news came at a shock for some.

Saints general manager Mickey Loomis talked about Thomas’s status on Tuesday, providing a positive update on the 29-year-old.

“I don’t expect him to be on (PUP) very long,” Loomis said, via ESPN’s Katherine Terrell. “He’s just not quite ready to be full go yet.”

Loomis added that Thomas is where he’s expected to be at in his recovery journey, so it’s not regarded as a “setback.”

Since the wide receiver was added to the offseason PUP list, he will be able to begin practicing with the team once his medical team clears him. However, if he is put on the regular-season PUP list, then he will have to wait four weeks to play again, per NFL’s rules.

The last time Thomas played a full season was in 2019 when he was named Offensive Player of the Year after catching 149 passes for 1,725 yards and nine touchdowns in 15 games. He began his first four seasons in the NFL with consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.

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