A rough end to the 2020 season is jumpstarting another round of Michael Thomas trade rumors.
An ankle injury and some issues with the New Orleans Saints led to Thomas having his worst season in the NFL, making just 40 catches and being held to 438 yards. That, combined with off-field issues, led to some speculation that the Saints could look to cut bait.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport told The Pat McAfee Show on Monday that he did not see a Thomas trade as likely, but would not rule it out.
"I would not rule anything out.. I don't think anything is imminent"@RapSheet on @Cantguardmike's future in New Orleans #PatMcAfeeShowLIVE pic.twitter.com/P4RCWckn5i
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 18, 2021
“I would not rule anything out. I don’t think anything is imminent. It was a tough year for all parties. They came to a point where they were fine by the end. He is an awesome player, but he is a different dude. He is intense, he is competitive, he is a perfectionist. … I don’t know. I would say they probably will not trade him, but similar to Deshaun (Watson), I would imagine teams will go ‘okay, maybe they weren’t all that happy, let me call and see what’s going on.'”
The Saints are also facing a salary cap crunch for 2021, and are projected to be nearly $100 million over the cap as it stands. Thomas accounts for nearly $19 million of that figure.
Thomas trade rumors have been shot down all season. However, things didn’t get any better for the receiver, and he was completely erased during the team’s playoff loss. The Saints would be selling low on Thomas, but they have to fix their cap crunch somehow.
