Thomas, who remains a free agent, had his one-game suspension lifted by the NFL on Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Thomas will now be eligible to play and participate in all club activities if he can sign with a new team. The 31-year-old wideout could struggle to find such an opportunity, however, after he spent the entire offseason as a free agent and has appeared in just 20 games since the beginning of the 2020 season. Thomas racked up 39 catches for 448 yards and one touchdown over his 10 appearances with the Saints in 2023 before suffering a knee injury, though he's seemingly healthy now.
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Michael Thomas: Handed one-game suspension
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The NFL suspended Thomas (knee) on Friday one game for violation of the personal conduct policy, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Thomas, who currently remains a free agent, won't be eligible to play Week 2 of the 2024 season due to discipline relating to an incident from fall of 2023. The 31-year-old veteran spent the entire offseason without a new home after being cut by the Saints back in March, and it remains to be seen whether he'll suit up this season even once his suspension is lifted. He played the first 10 games of 2023 with New Orleans before going down with a knee injury.
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Michael Thomas: Hits free agency
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Thomas (knee) became a free agent after the Saints designated him as a post-June 1 cut, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports.
Under the terms of his contract, Thomas was technically signed beyond 2024, but he had some unusual bonuses attached to his deal that enabled the Saints to cut him loose. He's now free to sign with any team, but it's unclear how much of a market there might be for a 31-year-old wideout who has massed significant time over the past four seasons. A knee injury cost Thomas the final seven games of the 2023 campaign, but it's unclear where he currently stands in his recovery.
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Saints' Michael Thomas: Will be cut soon
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The Saints plan to release Thomas (knee) soon, Jeff Duncan of The Athletic reports.
The structure of Thomas' contract all but guarantees he'll be released before March 13 when the new league year starts. He turned 31 a few days ago and has been with the Saints since they took him in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft, but he's played just 20 games in four years since setting a league record with 149 receptions in 2019. Thomas averaged 117.5 catches for 1,378 yards and eight touchdowns over the first four seasons of his career, before an ankle injury Week 1 of 2020 started his run of misfortune. A knee injury cost him the final seven games of 2023, but there hasn't been any report of Thomas needing surgery.
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Saints' Michael Thomas: Tallies 39 catches in 10 games
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Thomas (knee) caught 39 of 64 targets for 448 yards and one touchdown in 10 games during the 2023 season.
For the fourth consecutive season, Thomas struggled to stay on the field due to injuries. The 30-year-old wideout appeared in double-digit games for the first time since his record-setting 2019 season, but he still missed the final seven contests of the year while on IR with a right knee injury. Thomas continued to put up similar numbers on a per-reception basis compared to the majority of his career, averaging 11.5 yards per catch. However, his overall production was curbed by the presence of Chris Olave, who has taken on a role as the Saints' No. 1 receiver since being selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Thomas finished with one fewer reception despite seeing nine more targets than his seven-game 2020 season, and he fell short of 500 receiving yards for the fourth straight season. He will enter the final season of his five-year, $96.25 million contract, and he is currently set to cost about $12.4 million against the Saints' cap in 2024.
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Saints' Michael Thomas: Not ready to practice
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Saints head coach Dennis Allen said Wednesday that Thomas (knee) isn't ready to return to practice, Sean Fazende of Fox 8 New Orleans reports.
Thomas thus appears unlikely to be designated for return from injured reserve due to the right knee injury that he sustained Week 10 at Minnesota. The Saints are vying for a spot in the postseason, but if that doesn't come to pass, Thomas seems destined to finish this season with 39 catches (on 64 targets) for 448 yards and one touchdown in 10 contests.
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Saints' Michael Thomas: Not practicing
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Thomas (knee) isn't practicing Wednesday, Matthew Paras of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.
Thomas' continued absence comes as no surprise after head coach Dennis Allen intimated Tuesday that the receiver was unlikely to play this week at Tampa Bay. The wideout has missed five games and is eligible to return from injured reserve at any point now.
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Saints' Michael Thomas: Week 17 return unlikely
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Saints head coach Dennis Allen was non-committal Tuesday about Thomas' (knee) status for Sunday's game in Tampa Bay, though the expectation is that the wideout won't practice this week, Luke Johnson of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.
Thomas has already missed five games with a right knee injury he suffered Nov. 12 against the Vikings, but there's little indication he's close to a return. The wideout was eligible to have his 21-day evaluation window opened last week, but the Saints didn't clear him to practice at any point, and he doesn't appear set to resume on-field work this week, either. With Thomas trending toward another absence, the Saints will be left with A.T. Perry, Keith Kirkwood and Lynn Bowden as their depth options behind starting wideouts Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed.
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Saints' Michael Thomas: Won't have window opened Week 16
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Thomas (knee) won't have his practice window opened prior to Thursday's game against the Rams, Mike Triplett of New Orleans.Football reports.
Thomas has spent the requisite four weeks on injured reserve, so his 21-day practice window can be opened at any point moving forward. The veteran wide receiver isn't ready to return yet, and coach Dennis Allen was unable to provide a return timetable for Thomas on Monday. After Thursday's game, the Saints won't play again until Sunday, Dec. 31 in Tampa Bay.
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Saints' Michael Thomas: Should play again in 2023
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Thomas (knee) is expected to return from injured reserve at some point this season, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports.
Thomas injured his right knee early in the Saints' Week 10 loss to the Vikings and was placed on IR following the team's Week 11 bye. He'll be sidelined through at least Week 15, but the Saints are seemingly expecting him back at some point over the final three weeks of the regular season, though the calculus might change a bit if they continue to lose games and somehow fall out of the playoff hunt in a laughably weak NFC South. New Orleans was in first place at the time of Thomas' injury but has since slipped to one game behind the Falcons, who would be all but assured of having the upper hand for any division tiebreakers if they beat the Buccaneers this Sunday to move to 4-0 within the NFC South.
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Saints' Michael Thomas: Heading to injured reserve
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The Saints placed Thomas (knee) on injured reserve Tuesday, Brooke Kirchhofer of NewOrleans.Football reports.
Thomas sustained a knee injury on the opening drive in the team's last game Week 10 at Minnesota and wasn't able to return. Afterward, coach Dennis Allen called it a "fairly significant" issue, and following a Week 11 bye, he added that Thomas was "going to take some time" to get healthy, per John Hendrix of SI.com. With the veteran wideout sidelined, Rashid Shaheed and rookie sixth-rounder A.T. Perry should handle expanded roles.
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Saints' Michael Thomas: On track to miss time
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Saints head coach Dennis Allen said Monday that Thomas' knee injury is "going to take some time," though Allen didn't specify whether the receiver would require a stint on injured reserve, John Hendrix of SI.com reports.
The Saints are coming off a Week 11 bye, but Thomas is still in recovery mode after he injured his right knee on the team's first offensive play of a Week 10 loss to Minnesota. He stayed on the field for the next play and recorded a reception, but he checked out of the game and visited the injury tent on the sideline before being ruled out for the rest of the day. Though the Saints haven't provided a proper diagnosis for Thomas' injury, Allen referred to it as a "significant" one week ago, making it unlikely that the wideout is ready to play this Sunday in Atlanta. Even if Thomas is ruled out ahead of the Week 12 game, he'll still be worth monitoring into Saturday, when New Orleans could place him on IR if there's an expectation he'll need at least four weeks to recover from the injury.
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Saints' Michael Thomas: Has significant knee injury
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Coach Dennis Allen said Monday that Thomas has a "fairly significant" knee injury, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.
Thomas left Sunday's Week 10 loss to the Vikings early and was never able to return. Allen said Thomas' injury isn't believed to be season ending, but the veteran wideout will be rehabbing through the Saints' well-timed Week 11 bye. If Thomas needs to miss time, rookie A.T. Perry is likely the next man up alongside Chris Olave with Rashid Shaheed sticking in his part-time role.
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Saints' Michael Thomas: Won't return Sunday
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Thomas (knee) has been ruled out for the remainder of Sunday's game against the Vikings, John Hendrix of SI.com reports.
Thomas sustained what appeared to be an injury to his right knee during the Saints' first possession of the game Sunday. He hauled in one of his two targets for nine yards on the opening drive but was replaced by A.T. Perry on the Saints' next possession while getting his knee checked out on the sideline in the injury tent. Thomas was listed as questionable to return in the second quarter, but he remained in the locker room following halftime and was downgraded to out. The Saints are on bye Week 11, so Thomas will have some extra time to heal up in advance of the team's next game Nov. 26 at Atlanta.
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Saints' Michael Thomas: Playing Sunday following arrest
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Thomas is active for Sunday's game against the Vikings and was spotted on the field warming up, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.
Thomas wasn't listed on the Saints' Week 10 injury report, but his status still warranted a checkup ahead of Sunday's kickoff after he was arrested Friday in Kenner, La. on misdemeanor charges of simple battery and criminal mischief for his alleged involvement in an altercation with a man performing construction work in the receiver's neighborhood, according to Terrell. The Saints said Friday that they are aware of the incident and are gathering more information, and the expectation is that Thomas will continue playing while his legal situation remains ongoing.
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Saints' Michael Thomas: Held without a catch for first time
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Thomas failed to haul in his lone target during Sunday's 24-17 victory versus Chicago.
Thomas failed to catch a pass for the first time this season, as his targets fell behind not only fellow wideouts Chris Olave (eight) and Rashid Shaheed (three) but tight end Juwan Johnson (five) and running back Alvin Kamara (five). Thomas saw at least six targets in each of the first eight games of the season, so it's unlikely that he'll see such a moderate target share again moving forward. But he's still on pace for career lows in receiving yards per game (48.8) and catch percentage (61.3). New Orleans' passing game has also remained inefficient this season despite the addition of 32-year-old quarterback Derek Carr in the offseason. Expect Thomas to vie for fringe WR3 status in deeper fantasy leagues while providing minimal upside as a rather sporadic red-zone threat.
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Saints' Michael Thomas: Full practice Thursday
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Thomas (rest/illness) practiced in full Thursday.
Thomas was listed as a limited participant Wednesday due to the lingering effects of the illness that he played with this past Sunday at Indianapolis, as coach Dennis Allen told Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com. With his return to all activity, though, Thomas is set to play Week 9 against a Bears defense that has allowed the fourth-most touchdowns (nine) to opposing wide receivers in eight games this season.
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Saints' Michael Thomas: Still dealing with illness
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Saints head coach Dennis Allen said Thomas was a limited participant at Wednesday's practice due to the illness that he played through Week 8 at Indianapolis, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.
The Saints added Thomas to their Week 8 practice report Saturday, listing him questionable for this past Sunday's game. He eventually suited up, but his workload was scaled back somewhat (67 percent snap share) en route to four catches (on seven targets) for 68 yards. Thomas still has a pair of practices this week to get back to all on-field activity ahead of Sunday's contest against the Bears.
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Saints' Michael Thomas: Decent production in win
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Thomas logged four receptions (on seven targets) for 68 yards during Sunday's 38-27 victory versus Indianapolis.
Thomas continued to serve as a consistent short-to-intermediate pass catcher during this season-best outing for the Saints' offense. The 30-year-old wideout didn't seem to be slowed down after he popped up on the injury report late with an illness Saturday. He even logged his longest reception of the season when he caught a 31-yard pass deep down the middle in the first quarter. This rather moderate-length reception speaks to Thomas' lack of involvement in the deep passing game, and he's now logged over 15.0 yards per reception in just two of eight games this season. His production should remain consistent, though capped, while he served as the Saints' No. 2 wideout behind Chris Olave moving forward.
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Saints' Michael Thomas: May play through illness
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The Saints are optimistic that Thomas (illness) will be able to suit up Sunday at Indianapolis, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports.
After avoiding any sort of practice limitations this season, Thomas was tacked on to New Orleans' injury report Saturday as questionable to play Week 8 due to an illness. The team will have more intel about his ability to be active Sunday once he arrives at Lucas Oil Stadium, likely after he goes through a pregame workout. Thomas' status will become clearer when the Saints post their list of inactives about 90 minutes before a 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff.
