Michael Thomas plans to stay in New Orleans through his third contract

AP

Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas got his second NFL contract on Wednesday, but he doesn’t think he’s done earning big paydays.

After ending his holdout and reporting to Saints camp today a much richer man, Thomas said he told General Manager Mickey Loomis that this won’t be the last contract he signs with the Saints.

“After I signed that deal I told Mickey I’ll be back to do a third deal,” Thomas said. “Now it’s on to the next goal. You’re now the highest-paid, now you’ve got to go earn it. So that’s the biggest thing I’m trying to do. I’m trying to earn every penny of it.”

Thomas’s current deal runs through 2024 season, when he’ll be 31 years old. Whether the Saints want to keep paying him big money when he’s 32 and older remains to be seen. But they have a few years before they need to worry about that.

14 responses to “Michael Thomas plans to stay in New Orleans through his third contract

  1. It’s a 2 year extension, with a 3 one year team options
    Its possible he plays well enough at 29 and 30 to keep his job, especially if the cap goes up. The team paid a premium for those options.

    Realistically I expect he’ll play through 2022 because his salary/bonus will be $15.8 MM, which will be reasonable in a few years.

    It seems like a reasonable deal for both sides, maybe the Saints overpaid a little.

  2. Better hope they have a Qb of the future to throw a high priced WR the ball.
    ______________________________________________________________________________

    THIS. The Bills wasted the better part of Eric Moulds career. With a proper QB he would have been one of the best producing WRs of the last 30 years. They overspent on Sammy Watkins with two 1st round picks, and wasted the first years of Robert Woods career.

    You NEED to have a QB before you start splurging on WRs

  3. The idea that each time a talented player comes up for a new contract, it has to be the largest contract in the entire league for that position is going to wreck a lot of teams over time.

    Love the big talk we’re getting from Thomas, Bell, OBJ, etc – now that I pouted/extorted my way into big money, I’m going to set records and do amazing things, just you wait. I’m going to demonstrate traits I’ve never shown to date. Sure thing.

  4. kevpft says: The idea that each time a talented player comes up for a new contract, it has to be the largest contract in the entire league for that position is going to wreck a lot of teams over time.”
    —————————

    The salary cap went up by $11 million (+6%) this year. ANY average contract will automatically go up anyways by virtue of the cap increasing, so having the “largest contract” isn’t hard to accomplish.

  5. jeffreyshulenburg says: “You NEED to have a QB before you start splurging on WRs”
    ——————–

    They HAVE a QB and trying to maximize he last remaining years. Having a strong, PROVEN veteran reciever is better than trying to break in a few rookie WRs at this point.

  6. kevpft says: “Love the big talk we’re getting from Thomas, Bell, OBJ, etc – now that I pouted/extorted my way into big money, I’m going to set records and do amazing things, just you wait. I’m going to demonstrate traits I’ve never shown to date. Sure thing.”
    ——————-

    Statistically, recievers hit their prime years between 27-31. Pull up any great WR’s numbers and you’ll see that. So paying Thomas makes perfect sense. Guys 31-yr-old like Antonio Brown, on the other hand, are on the downside and shouldn’t be paid as much anymore.

  7. “One man, two knees, two ankles. Make sure to vacuum the carpet before he lines up.”

    Not sure why people think making this sort of comment is somehow clever. Its a given for every single NFL player that their season or career can be over on any given play no matter what they’re paid.

  8. This guy is a workhorse player. Go get that third contract! MT is the best non-diva receiver out there.

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