There was a time when New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas was largely viewed as one of the best players at his position. Being that he set a then NFL record with 149 receptions in 2019, as he earned his second consecutive first-team All-Pro honors, Thomas was well on his way to having a very productive career.
But he’s played in just 10 games since, hauling in just 56 passes for 609 receiving yards in the past three seasons as his career has been derailed by various injuries. In 2019, Thomas was 26 years old, coming off the best year of his career. Now, in 2023, Thomas is set to turn 30, and his future outlook is very different, thanks to his recent inability to stay on the field.
Now, Thomas is taking his frustrations out on the NFL, specifically their medical staff.
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Michael Thomas seemingly blames NFL medical staffs for his downfall
Responding to former Philadelphia Eagles player Chris Maragos’ $43.5 million malpractice suit following the improper treatment of a knee injury, Thomas took to Twitter to criticize the NFL.
In now-deleted tweets, Thomas wrote: “The NFL medical sucks, cheap and uneducated their job requires barely any education or curriculum.” Six minutes later, Thomas replied again: “Well atleast some places I know.”
As mentioned, Thomas has since deleted his thoughts. But it’s not hard to read between the lines, where he suggests “some places” lack proper medical care. He’s only ever played for the Saints, which leads us to believe he’s criticizing the only organization he’s ever known.
- Michael Thomas’ contract in 2023: $13.3 million cap hit
Notably, Thomas recently restructured his contract, but he’s still under contract with the Saints through the 2024 season. Cutting or trading Thomas wouldn’t appear to be in the cards, as New Orleans would incur a $26 million cap penalty if Thomas was released. Even designating Thomas as a post-June 1 release still leaves behind $12 million in dead salary on the Saints’ books.
Basically, the Saints better hope Thomas is on good terms with the medical staff heading into 2023.
Related: Micah Parsons calls out NFL training staffs for pushing athletes to play through injuries