Despite His Injuries And Recent Issues Michael Thomas' Career Shouldn't Be Discredited With The Saints

While recency bias is clearly in play for Michael Thomas, it doesn't tell the whole story of the Saints wide receiver.

Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas is headed to free agency for the first time in his career, thus closing a long and storied chapter in New Orleans. The last time we saw Thomas in a Saints uniform was in Week 10 (Nov. 12, 2023) in Minnesota against the Vikings. He got hurt early and emerged from the medical tent with a ball cap on and remained on the team's sideline. It wasn't until the third quarter that he was officially ruled out, and that's the last we'd ever see him dawning the black and gold.

Throughout all of the injuries and rollercoaster rides, as disappointing of a finish as it is, it certainly doesn't erase the legacy Michael Thomas built during his time in New Orleans. It also should not be discredited.

Thomas finishes fourth on the all-time franchise receiving yardage list with 6,569 yards. What's crazy about that is that it only took Thomas 83 games to get there, and his trajectory could have surely put him at the top of the list. Here's how he stacks up among the franchise's best.

Saints Career Receiving Yardage Leaders (Top 5)

1. Marques Colston (2006-2015) - 146 games, 711 receptions, 9,759 yards, 72 TDs
2. Eric Martin (1985-1993) - 143 games, 532 receptions, 7,854 yards, 48 TDs
3. Joe Horn (2000-2006) - 102 games, 523 receptions, 7,622 yards, 50 TDs
4. Michael Thomas (2016-2023) - 83 games, 565 receptions, 6,569 yards, 36 TDs
5. Danny Abramowicz (1967-1973) - 85 games, 309 receptions, 4,875 yards, 37 TDs

If you filter through all of the career statistics for the Saints and take away players like Pierre Thomas and Alvin Kamara, Michael Thomas has the most impressive receiver catch rate at 76 percent (743 targets). No receiver above him on the list has any statistical relevance compared to Thomas' tenure. His 36 touchdowns will keep him at 7th on the all-time Saints list for quite some time, as the next closest active player is Alvin Kamara at 11th with 23.

21 of Thomas' 83 games went for 100 yards or better, including a career-high 211 yards against the Rams in Week 9 of the 2018 season. He had six multi-score games during his time with the Saints. He is the franchise leader in receiving yards/game at 79.1.

No one can take away what Thomas did in 2019 with Drew Brees. That record-setting year still stands despite a valiant effort from Rams receiver Cooper Kupp, who caught 145 passes in 2021. However, Kupp also had one more outing in his favor due to the extra 17th game. In the past two seasons, CeeDee Lamb (135) and Justin Jefferson (128) were the reception leaders and the only ones to threaten the feat. For the foreseeable future, Thomas' record might just stand tall.

In case you forgot, here's a detailed list of Michael Thomas' accomplishments while being in New Orleans, which boasts plenty of accolades.

The Michael Thomas Saints Resume

• NFL Offensive Player of the Year (2019) 
• Two-time First-team All-Pro (2018, 2019) 
• Three-time Pro Bowl selection (2017–2019) 
• Two-time NFL receptions leader (2018 - 125, 2019 - 149)
• NFL receiving yards leader (2019) 
• PFWA All-Rookie Team (2016) 
• Four straight 1,000-yard seasons (2016-2019)
• 2016: Franchise rookie record for receptions (92), receiving yards (1,137) and touchdowns (9)
• 2017: First-Team All-Conference (PFWA), Second-Team (PFF)
• 2018: First-Team All-Conference (PFWA), First-Team (AP, PFWA, PFF, Sporting News)
• 2018 Week 9 Offensive Player of the Week
• 2019 Offensive Player of the Month (November)
• 2019 Receiving Yards/Game Leader (107.8)
• 2019: First-Team All-Conference (PFWA), First-Team (AP, PFWA, PFF, Sporting News)
• 2019: Most receiving yards in a season (1,725)
• 2019: Became fastest player to reach 400 catches
• 2020: Became fastest player to reach 500 catches
• Most receptions in a Saints game: 16 (9/9/18 vs. Bucs)
• Most receiving yards in a game: 211 (11/4/18 vs. Rams)
• Most receiving yards by a player through his first four seasons: 5,512 (2016-2019)
• Most receptions by a player through his first two seasons (196), four seasons (470) and five seasons (510)
• Most consecutive games with 4+ receptions: 43
• Most consecutive games with 11+ receptions: 3 
• Most consecutive games with 12+ receptions: 2

Five receivers were drafted ahead of Michael Thomas in 2016: Corey Coleman, Will Fuller, Josh Doctson, Laquon Treadwell and Sterling Shepard. Three of them have been out of the league, while two others are still around but are free agents (Shepherd/Treadwell). Their combined efforts equals 287 games, 838 receptions, 10,362 yards, 65 TDs. Not one single player on the list has rivaled what Thomas did as the 47th overall pick from 2016, and two players have had more time to catch up to Thomas in the past few years.

Receivers Picked Ahead of Michael Thomas

• Corey Coleman, 15th (Browns) - 27 games, 61 catches, 789 yards, 5 TDs
• Will Fuller, 21st (Texans) - 55 games, 213 catches, 3,136 yards, 24 TDs
• Josh Doctson, 22nd (Redskins) - 34 games, 81 catches, 1,100 yards, 8 TDs
• Laquon Treadwell, 23rd (Vikings) - 81 games, 111 catches, 1,242 yards, 5 TDs
• Sterling Shepherd, 40th (Giants) - 90 games, 372 catches, 4,095 yards, 23 TDs

The injury in 2020 undoubtedly changed a lot for Thomas. In a combined span of four seasons, he played in just 20 games for the Saints, having half of those in 2023 before getting hurt against the Vikings. After the 2021 debacle, Thomas did everything he could and then some to get back to form and looked the part during training camp. His game against the Falcons was more than memorable and brought hope on what we might could expect. Unfortunately, it didn't happen.

Thomas' future was up in the air, but he came back to New Orleans on a one-year deal and was excited to work with Derek Carr. Again, Thomas had plenty to prove. He looked good again in training camp. He went hard on every rep, just like you'd expect. Up until the injury, Thomas posted 44.8 yards/game and finished with 39 catches for 448 yards on 64 targets, finding the end zone just once. He was crucial to helping the team in 3rd Down situations, an area where the team lacked the previous season, accounting for 21 first downs in his 10 games.

I'm reminded of something Mickey Loomis said back in August on if he had to guard against putting too much into Michael Thomas because of the track record. Loomis' response said a lot about him.

"I don't look at it any different than you look at any player. Look, injuries happen. This isn't like the same thing that's happened to Mike three years in a row. He's had some different things happen. What I don't question is his desire, his work ethic, the things that he's done 10 miles overboard in getting himself ready. And no one wants it more than him."

Michael Thomas seems ready pic.twitter.com/7Im5FT3Qdh

— John Hendrix (@JohnJHendrix) July 25, 2023

Michael Thomas just wants to be on the field doing what he loves to do, and when you can't do that, it's frustrating. The 'wanting it' part of Thomas' game won't go away any time soon, and while the chapter in New Orleans closes, another one will hopefully open and pave the way for Thomas to get things back on track with a new team in 2024. 

As we come to the end of the road, not everything can be a storybook ending, and unfortunately the track history for Saints players doesn't pan out like this. The bottom line is Michael Thomas was an instrumental part of the Saints offense for quite some time and made an incredible run in New Orleans. 

At the end of it all, hopefully Michael Thomas is remembered more for what he did on the field and the impact he made. The offense would not have been the same without him during those first several years, and you're kidding yourself to think otherwise. Fans will certainly keep following Thomas wherever he goes and are eager to see what happens the rest of the way.