It wasn’t too long ago, that Michael Thomas was one of the best receivers in the league. As seen in his numbers, he was the main weapon in the Saints passing attack. He had four consecutive seasons of 1000+ receiving yards. He also led the league in receptions in 2017 with 125. However, his best season was in 2019 when he led the league with 149 receptions and receiving yards with 1725. This ended in him being named Offensive Player of the Year.
However, over the past few seasons, Thomas has had a hard time staying on the field. He’s dealt with injuries ever since missing the entire 2021 season with an ankle injury. The injuries have continued over the past couple of seasons, only playing in 13 games. All of this time off the field, caused the Saints to cut the former all-pro receiver this offseason.
As we inch closer to training camp, and the start of the preseason Thomas remains unsigned. Teams of weary to take the risk on him due to his injury history. However, there is one team that should take a shot on Thomas. The New England Patriots.
The Patriots Would Finally Have A Wide Receiver One
The Patriots hope they found their next franchise quarterback when they drafted Drake Maye third overall in the 2024 draft. This was just one step, in the Patriots moving on from the Bill Belichick era. It’s also clear that the Patriots want a complete reset as they moved on from former first-round pick Mac Jones, opening a path for Maye to compete for the starting job.
However, even though the Patriots are entering a new era, there are still fears they’ll make the same mistakes as in the past. The main one is that they won’t surround their young quarterback with talented offensive weapons. Go look at the Jones era in New England. They never had a true wide receiver one. The best receiver Jones had to work with was Jakobi Meyers. A good receiver but not someone who can be the main target in the passing game.
Look at who Maye has to work with going into this season. Currently, the top wide receiver on the roster is listed as Kendrick Bourne. Again a decent receiver but not a true number one. They also have young players like DeMario Douglas and Ja’lynn Polk, who could develop into great receivers, however, are nothing more than a lottery ticket right now. Thomas would become the main threat and someone that Maye can trust to get the ball too.
Thomas Would Get Garuntee Playing Time
Despite all the success Thomas has had in his career there are lots of question marks surrounding him. Specifically is he still able to stay on the field for an entire season? As mentioned earlier he’s missed a lot of time over the past three seasons. Plus with him now being on the wrong side of 30. There is no guarantee that he can return to the player he once was.
He needs to prove to teams he can still be the player he was from 2016-19. The only way he is going to do that is if he gets consistent playing time. Something only the Patriots can offer him. Sure there are other receiver-needed teams like the Chiefs and Giants, however, they already have a number one option. As well as young players that can easily develop and take playing time away. The Pats are the only place where even if young receivers like Polk and Douglas develop, Thomas will still have an active role.
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