There are two things that are certain heading into the 2021 NFL season when it comes to Michael Thomas: he’s not happy with the team and the team is not happy with him. Now, where that road ends up leading is anyone’s guess, but it’s been a lot more than just bumpy over the course of the past year. The potholes in it threaten to rip the rear axle right off of a vehicle that once looked unstoppable, namely the relationship between the All-Pro receiver and the organization, one that received an injection of race fuel when the Saints awarded Thomas a five-year, $100 million contract in 2019.
But that was then and this is now and, in 2021, feces is hitting the fan blades in Louisiana.
Is the marriage reconcilable, though?
Some believe it isn’t and that the two sides are barreling toward a trade in the future, even if it would be financially cumbersome for the Saints to do so. Others think it’s just a matter of them getting on the same page, and the latter has a slim chance of being right. Only days after Thomas implied the Saints were trying to “damage” his reputation, he and head coach Sean Payton have reportedly has positive talks toward a potential peace, per Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports, which marks the first sign in a long time that there’s hope to cling to.
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Thomas’ subtweet followed what he viewed as a PR assault of sorts by the Saints, with a report surfacing that he ignored calls from the team’s trainer, wide receivers coach and even Payton in the months preceding his decision to wait until June to undergo ankle surgery that will sideline him indefinitely. The decision sparked anger within Payton and the team’s front office — Payton making it clear he expected the surgery to occur much sooner and voiced “disappointment” in how Thomas handled the situation. This all comes on the heels of a tumultuous 2020 season that saw Thomas miss significant time as he battled ankle issues, and amid rumors he wanted out of New Orleans.
If the Saints get their way (and they can, considering they don’t have to trade him), they’d like to not only keep one of the best receivers in the game, but to also finally move past the apparent toxicity in the relationship. That’s a two-way street though, but it at least looks like Thomas is open to it as well — at least for now.
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