Michael Thomas ignored Saints phone calls for three months this offseason

Michael Thomas ignored phone calls from the New Orleans Saints staff for nearly three months this offseason, according to NOLA.com’s Jeff Duncan. The team reached out to the star receiver for updates on his injured ankle several times. Each time they were met with silence.

It didn’t matter who called. Trainer Beau Lowery, receivers coach Curtis Johnson and head coach Sean Payton all failed to reach Thomas. He underwent surgery in June for the injury and is expected to miss several games at the beginning of the year.

The Saints advised Thomas to have the surgery immediately after last season, but he opted to attempt to let his ankle heal. In recent quotes, Payton has made his frustration with how the former Ohio State star handled the situation clear.

“It appears we’re going to have to spend some time without him,” Payton told Amie Just of NOLA.com. “We would have liked (the surgery) to happen earlier. Quite honestly, it should have.”

It’s obvious that something about the relationship between the Saints and their star has gone sour.

What’s unclear is exactly what caused Thomas to go off the radar the past few months. Had he kept in touch, he could have realized the surgery needed to happen sooner and avoided missing time. Instead, Payton’s comments and Thomas’ silence casts doubt onto his future in New Orleans.

Drew Brees retired and either Taysom Hill or Jameis Winston will take over as starting quarterback. Perhaps now is the appropriate time for Thomas to move on to a team with better prospects.

He finished with at least 1,000 yards receiving in each of his first four seasons in the NFL. He led the league in receiving yards in 2019 and was number one in receptions in 2018 and 2019. Injuries derailed his season in 2020, as he played in only seven games. Many regarded him to be the best receiver in the NFL entering that year.

The Saints likely want to mend their relationship with Michael Thomas. It seems there was definitely disagreement on how to handle the injury, though it’s clear now what should have happened. The puzzling part remains why he won’t talk, even now.

Until he does, we will have little understanding of the situation. Can both parties mend things before Thomas is healthy enough to return? Or is the beginning of the end in New Orleans?

This is an interesting wrinkle for football fans as the 2021 NFL season draws nearer.