[]
Share
Copied
The New Orleans Saints made some big noise during the NFL off-season by reaching a five-year, 100-million-U.S.-dollar deal with their wide receiver Michael Thomas, making the 26-year-old the highest-paid player in his position in the league, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Thomas has 61 million U.S. dollars guaranteed in his new contract, which is less than the 65 million U.S. dollars of Odell Beckham Jr. of the Cleveland Browns but Thomas' total number of 100 million U.S. dollars and average number of 20 million U.S. dollars both beat Beckham Jr.'s total 90 million U.S. dollars and average 18 million U.S. dollars.
Since he was selected by the Saints in the second round in the 2016 NFL Draft, Thomas kept getting better every season. His catches grew from 92 (2016) to 104 (2017) and then to 125 (2018) for 1,137, 1,245 and 1,405 yards respectively with 23 touch downs in total.
Moreover, in the 2018 season, Thomas caught 85 percent of the passes thrown in his way and according to Bleacher Report, no other wideout with at least 100 targets did better than 74 percent. So it's safe to say that he is one of the most reliable wide receivers in today's league.
Michael Thomas of the New Orleans Saints catches the ball and turns up field for a gain in the NFC Championship game against the Los Angeles Rams, January 20, 2019. /VCG Photo
ESPN's Dianna Russini previously said that New Orleans were "comfortable making him (Thomas) the highest-paid receiver in the game" and the team did it, which was the right call but might also be a dangerous move.
Thomas did not report to the Saints' training camp last week reportedly to seek a big contract and he's not alone - Ezekiel Elliott of the Dallas Cowboys, Melvin Gordon of the Los Angeles Chargers, Trent Williams of the Washington Redskins and Yannick Ngakoue of the Jacksonville Jaguars - all took the same step. Thomas getting what he wanted from the Saints should only give hope to the others.
Moreover, Thomas' new contract may open a new chapter for signing top wide receivers of the league. Currently Julio Jones of the Atlanta Falcons, Amari Cooper of the Dallas Cowboys, A.J. Green of the Cincinnati Bengals and Tyreek Hill of the Kansas City Chiefs among others are all waiting for new contracts. As Thomas reached 100 million U.S. dollars for the first time, it will be a lot more difficult to convince these guys to sign on smaller deals.