Michael Thomas: Saints' Sean Payton provides update on wide receiver

Michael Thomas was on the sidelines for Saturday night’s preseason opener against the Baltimore Ravens. Thomas is recovering from ankle surgery, and while rumors between the star wide receiver and head coach Sean Payton have swirled offseason, the two sides are on the same page for now.

Sean Payton on Michael Thomas: "It's good to have him back. A lot of his rehab has been in Philadelphia with his ankle specialist. He had a recheck last week, he’s ahead of schedule. He’s gonna be a big part of what we do, and hopefully the sooner, the better with his recovery."

— Mike Triplett (@MikeTriplett) August 14, 2021

“It’s good to have him back,” Payton said, via ESPN’s Mike Triplett. “A lot of his rehab has been in Philadelphia with his ankle specialist. He had a recheck last week, he’s ahead of schedule. He’s gonna be a big part of what we do, and hopefully the sooner, the better with his recovery.”

When will Michael Thomas play?

As it stands, the timeline for Thomas return to the field still remains unclear.

The 2019 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year is expected to miss the start of the regular season at the very least. In late June, Payton expressed his displeasure with the timeline for the surgery, noting Thomas could have had the procedure done earlier this summer so he would be available in September.

Thomas only suited up for seven regular-season games in 2020 due to a lingering injury and disciplinary issues.

The rift between the Saints and Michael Thomas

Though Saturday night’s comments from Payton, and Thomas’ willingness to show up at the game in Baltimore are a positive sign for both sides, there has been an ongoing rift between the head coach and player all offseason.

Less than a week ago, the NFL Network reported the Saints’ star wideout wanted a trade.

There has been growing tension between the two sides over the past two seasons which have come to a boiling point over the past week. Rapaport discussed Tuesday how difficult it would be to pull off a trade now.

“I would say a trade is certainly not off the table,” said Rapaport. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the Saints move on from Michael Thomas eventually, but it is complicated. Here’s why: He’s not healthy right now. He’s still recovering from that foot surgery.”

He continued: “You’re probably not going to be able to trade him until the trade deadline, and then it’s $8 million in dead money this year, $22 million in dead money next year, not impossible but not easy either.”

This comes days after a report from NOLA.com’s Jeff Duncan claiming that Thomas had cut off all communication with the team for several months after the 2020 season. Since then, news on the fractured relationship between Thomas and the Saints has continued to break.

This will be a story to follow as the NFL regular season nears.