New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas is a big name who could be on the move in the coming weeks.
The Saints and Thomas recently agreed to a restructured contract, which many believed was a sign that the team will release him. The Saints are in a difficult cap situation and could release the oft-injured receiver to save much-needed space.
If Thomas were to be released, several teams should be interested in the 2019 Offensive Player of the Year. Given his age and injury history, the 30-year-old Thomas will likely have to settle on a short-term deal.
At Pro Football Focus, Brad Spielberger projected landing spots for some of the top free agents this offseason. Spielberger projected that Thomas would land with none other than Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs:
“Thomas could take a page out of the notebook of JuJu Smith-Schuster, who was able to capitalize on the brilliance of the Kansas City Chiefs‘ offense and get his career back on track after playing just five games in 2021….
Older Thomas stats almost seem unfair to highlight given how long it has been since he was a dominant force, but it’s clear that he can still be an upper-echelon wide receiver when healthy. While injuries are never a good thing, Thomas has avoided taking many big hits over the past few years, which could serve him well over the next few years.
Here, in the absence of any team stepping up with a significant multi-year offer, the Chiefs take a flier on Thomas and he makes the best decision to max out his 2023 campaign before re-entering free agency.”
The Chiefs will have to bring in some new faces if they don’t retain slot receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and speedster Mecole Hardman, who are both eligible to enter free agency later this month.
Unfortunately, injuries have limited the former Pro Bowler to 10 games over the last two seasons (he missed all of 2021 recovering from an ankle injury). But Thomas did have three touchdown receptions in the three games he played last season, so it’s clear that he can still be an impact player on the field.
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If the Saints end up releasing Thomas, the Chiefs certainly make sense as a landing spot for him.
