Things do not appear to be great between wide receiver Michael Thomas and the New Orleans Saints right now, but there are signs that the two sides may be moving toward sorting out their issues.
According to Jeff Duncan of nola.com, Thomas is expected to attend Saturday’s preseason opener against the Baltimore Ravens at the request of coach Sean Payton. Thomas and Payton met earlier in the week in an effort to begin smoothing out their differences after a tumultuous offseason.
Duncan said that the meeting was “productive” and both Thomas and Payton felt more positive about their situation afterwards. Duncan adds that it appears less likely that there will be any public issues between the two sides going forward, particularly in light of the fact that the Saints do want to keep Thomas.
The issues between Thomas and the Saints date back to last season, when he wound up in the doghouse after a practice fight with a teammate. Tensions rose again recently when it was revealed that Thomas waited several months to undergo surgery that will cause him to miss the beginning of the season. Things looked even worse when it was reported that Thomas essentially ignored the team’s calls while putting off the procedure.
After putting up prolific numbers in his first four NFL seasons, Thomas struggled with injuries in 2020 and was limited to just 438 receiving yards and no touchdowns in seven games, all career lows. In light of Drew Brees’ retirement, Thomas will be more important than ever to the New Orleans offense, which is why they so badly want to stay on good terms and get the 28-year-old back on the field as soon as possible.
