The 2023 NFL offseason keeps churning; with that, we have some players with various question marks around them. While the New Orleans Saints are generally pretty cut and dry in who they have on the roster, this season has become an exception. There are questions galore between a new quarterback in Derek Carr, a potential resurgence for Alvin Kamara, and a complimentary back in Jamaal Williams, or even the rookie class with Bryan Bresee among others.
Another player who fits the bill? Michael Thomas. We all pretty much know the story by now, the 2019 Offensive Player of the Year who broke the all-time receptions in a season record and then has played a total of 10 games in the three seasons since. With that said, Thomas ranks 17th on Saints Wire’s list of the 25 most important players for New Orleans in 2023. This series takes a look at the following for these players:
- Recap of their 2022 season
- Projecting their 2023 success
- What is the biggest question mark for them in 2023?
So, let’s first take a look at some background context before getting into those components:
Background
Position: Wide receiver
Age: 30
Experience: 8th season
2023 cap hit: $10,203,588
2022 Recap
Another season, another tough situation for Michael Thomas to navigate. Thomas started off the season exceptionally strong no doubt, showing he still had the talent we all revere him for within his skillset. While he only had five receptions and 57 receiving yards, he brought in two crucial receiving touchdowns against the Atlanta Falcons in week one to solidify a comeback win over the division rival.
The next week? Six receptions for 65 yards and another receiving touchdown in a loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In week three however he would go down with a toe injury, which would hold him out the rest of the season. It is possible he never really returned to full strength as he never saw 10+ receptions in 2023, however the toe injury put him even further away from success. This dampened his 2022 season, and held him out for the remainder.
2023 Outlook
The 2023 outlook of Michael Thomas, as has been the case recently, comes down to his health. An optimal scenario would be we see Thomas for 12-plus games and he is healthy for a potential playoff push. He may be WR2 now or at least WR1.5 with Chris Olave now in the fold, which helps with Thomas not having to be the sole contributor. The Saints also have much more WR depth now, with Rashid Shaheed breaking out, and additions such as A.T. Perry, Bryan Edwards, and James Washington.
A bad season for Thomas would be essentially what has been the case the last three years, with less than 10 games played and a major injury knocking him out for any chance at playoff run.
So, what should we expect? Well Thomas has more motivation than ever before with the Saints restructuring his contract to only have one more season before he hits free agency. This bodes well, as even if he were to want to leave New Orleans (which he has not expressed yet), he would need to do well this year to earn a contract elsewhere. So the possibility of a big season could be in the making.
Big question: Can Thomas return to form and earn a new contract?
The real question that comes with this new contract, is what do the Saints do if he performs at his peak or somewhere near it? Do they make the decision to keep him long term again? Do they try to sign him short term with incentive laden bonuses? Could they even afford the contract if he performs at a high level?
This is all somewhat null and void until the end of the year, as we have no idea if he will be able to surpass expectations yet. The level of expectations on him are actually the lowest they have been in his career, which makes this even more intriguing, as he has every incentive to go fight for his career this season and make a splash so big it cannot be ignored. Thomas has always been a player who seems to love the spotlight, but primarily so when it helps the team. So with the team in a retooling season as well, we should expect him to give everything he has this year and lay it on the field.
