Michael Thomas did something no other player ever has done. He caught 149 passes.
That broke Marvin Harrison’s 17-year-old record by six catches.
Thomas’ 1,725 receiving yards was the seventh-most in NFL history, 239 yards behind Harrison’s mark in 2012.
If not for Lamar Jackson’s special season, Thomas would have a chance to become the first receiver to win MVP honors. As it is, Thomas is PFT’s choice for offensive player of the year.
He beat out Jackson and Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey, who became only the third player in NFL history with 1,000 receiving yards and 1,000 rushing yards. McCaffrey led the league with 2,392 yards from scrimmage and led all non-kickers in scoring with 116 points.
But Thomas made NFL history, setting a record that could stand a long time.
Then again, Thomas has improved his catches every season from 92 as a rookie to 104 in 2017 to 129 in 2018 to 149 this season. So maybe it won’t stand long.
And he did it for a team that was without its starting quarterback for five games and still managed to go 13-3.
A receiver has not won the Associated Press’ offensive player of the year award since 1993 when Jerry Rice won his second. The Hall of Famer also won the award in 1987. That’s the only seasons in history a receiver has claimed offensive player of the year.
The AP offensive player of the year award will be announced during the NFL Honors Show the night before the Super Bowl.