Getty Image / Kevin C Cox
Just a few years ago, Michael Thomas was on the way to a prolific NFL career.
He had topped 1000 receiving yards in each of his first 4 seasons and the 4th season saw him break the NFL record for single-season receptions.
Then injuries struck and we have yet to see that version of Michael Thomas again.
Fans have been hoping that with his toe injury fixed that he will once again be an elite receiver in 2023. Unfortunately, it seems he still isn’t fully recovered from that injury.
Today, New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen revealed that Thomas still isn’t back to 100%.
#Saints HC Dennis Allen said WR Michael Thomas isn't 100% healthy right now after undergoing toe surgery last season. They're going to be cautious but they are expecting him to be ready for the start of the regular season.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) March 28, 2023
For most players, an update from their head coach saying that that they aren’t 100% at the end of March wouldn’t be anything to be concerned about, but Michael Thomas isn’t most players.
It has been 3 years since the last time we saw Thomas play an entire season as he has battled multiple injuries that have caused him to miss extended periods of time.
This toe injury is the latest and it held him to just 3 games during the 2022 season. It took a month and a half to decide that he needed surgery on the toe and it has now been nearly 5 months since that decision was made.
This latest revelation makes the team’s decision to hold on to Thomas even more surprising. The expectation this offseason was that the Saints would move on from the star receiver.
Instead, they ended up agreeing to a 1-year deal to keep Thomas with the team in spite of the fact that he isn’t fully recovered yet.
With Alvin Kamara facing legal issues, the New Orleans Saints will be hoping Thomas can finally shake his injury issues and turn into a dependable target for Derek Carr as a reliable target.
This certainly isn’t the kind of news you want to hear right now with that pressure on Thomas to stay healthy.