The New Orleans Saints have been desperately working to free up salary cap space this offseason, and there was some speculation that trading Michael Thomas would be another way for them to do that. That no longer seems like a possibility.
Thomas and the Saints have agreed to a restructured contract that will save the team nearly $9 million in cap space, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media. The star receiver initially carried a cap hit of $19 million in 2021, but New Orleans converted his base salary into a signing bonus with the new deal.
As Rapoport notes, the restructured deal all but eliminates the possibility that Thomas will be traded. The Saints probably could have found a team to take on his salary if they wanted to part ways with him, but Sean Payton obviously plans to keep Thomas around.
Thomas battled injuries and was involved in some drama with his teammates last season, which resulted in a down year. He caught just 40 passes in seven games after hauling in 149 in 2019 and 125 in 2018. Despite that, Payton openly mocked reports during the season that the Saints might trade the All-Pro wideout.
