After two seasons of quarterback instability following the retirement of Drew Brees, the New Orleans Saints are heading in a different direction in 2023.
On Monday, it was reported that the team would be signing veteran signal-caller Derek Carr to a four-year, $150 million deal after he was released by the Las Vegas Raiders earlier this offseason.
Any time there’s a change at the quarterback position, you wonder how it’s going to affect cohesion with the rest of the team. Especially important is the relationship with a new receiving corps, and based on the sentiment Saints wideout Michael Thomas shared on Twitter, it seems the change is a welcome one.
Thank you Jesus 🙏🏾
— Michael Thomas (@Cantguardmike) March 6, 2023
OK, then!
It’s certainly been a difficult couple of years at the position for New Orleans. In 2021, Jameis Winston began the year as the starter and delivered promising play before he was sidelined with an ACL injury, and Trevor Siemian and Taysom Hill would see time down the stretch.
Winston started the first three games but was replaced due to injury by Andy Dalton, who started the final 14 games even after Winston’s return.
Now, the team has some more stability in Carr, who struggled in his final two seasons with the Raiders but has proven to be a capable starter in the past. At just 31 years old, it’s entirely reasonable to believe that he’ll remain a starting-caliber player throughout that contract’s duration.
Whether Thomas will be around to play with Carr, though, is yet to be determined. He’s played in just 10 games in the three seasons since leading the league in receiving during a prolific 2019 campaign.
Thomas has been embroiled in contract talks with the Saints, who restructured his deal back in December in a manner that seemed to be setting up for a release. Now, this Tweet has renewed speculation that Thomas could return to the Saints, potentially on a new deal.
