New Orleans Saints planning on releasing wide receiver Michael Thomas

Wide receiver Michael Thomas‘ eight-year tenure with the New Orleans Saints seems to be coming to an end, with FOX 8 New Orleans reporting Thursday that the franchise is planning on releasing the veteran wideout.

The Saints drafted Thomas with the No. 47 overall pick in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft out of Ohio State. Recording 565 receptions, 6,569 yards, and 36 touchdowns in his career which ranks second, fourth, and seventh all-time in franchise history.

Thomas took home the AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award for the 2019 season after catching an NFL record 149 passes and leading the league with 1,725 receiving yards. But in the last three seasons, Thomas has only appeared in 13 total games.

He made an immediate impact with the Saints as a rookie in 2016, leading the team with 92 catches along with 1,137 yards and nine touchdowns. But 2017 would start as a three-year stretch where he’s be undeniably one of the best receivers in the league.

Thomas made three consecutive Pro Bowls starting in 2017, also earning First-team All-Pro honors in 2018 and 2019 after leading the NFL in receptions in back-to-back seasons and in receiving yards in 2019. In his three-year peak Thomas would catch 378 passes for 4,375 yards and 23 touchdown passes.

In 2019 Thomas signed a five-year, $100 million contract extension with $61 million guaranteed with New Orleans that made him the highest-paid wide receiver in the league at the time. But the 2020 season would start a string of injuries that he’d seemingly never be the same after.

Thomas suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 1 of the 2020 season, which along with a one-game suspension for a fight with teammate Chauncey Gardner-Johnson would cause him to only appear in seven games for the Saints. Ending the season with just 40 catches for 438 yards and zero touchdowns.

In the summer of 2021, Thomas underwent surgery on his injured ankle that would cause him to miss the entire 2021 season. Returning in 2022 for the first three games of the season before suffering a foot injury that would put an end to his season.

This past year Thomas’ contract was restructured ahead of the season dropping his annual salary from $15.5 million to $1.165 million. He’d play in 10 games before suffering a knee injury in Week 11 that would yet again place him on the injured reserve and put an end to his season.

FOX 8’s Jeff Duncan broke the news regarding Thomas’ planned release from New Orleans, which the wideout showed clear displeasure about in a series of tweets.