New Orleans Saints wide Michael Thomas passed a historic milestone on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans by logging a dozen receptions for 136 yards and a touchdown. Those numbers, added to his season and career totals, passed two records established by NFL legends Marvin Harrison and Randy Moss.
Harrison set the NFL record for receptions in a single season back in 2002, when he caught 143 passes in 16 games. Thomas needed 15 games to beat that, catching 145 passes. Additionally, Moss gained an NFL-record 5,396 receiving yards through his first four seasons — and Thomas passed him, too, ending his day with 5,475 receiving yards. And he still has a game to play.
Those sort of big-time numbers draw big-time attention. These feats earned praise from Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, who reached out to Thomas on Twitter. James lauded Thomas for the way he broke the single-season receptions record with an electrifying route, which beat Titans cornerback Logan Ryan off the snap and had the defender sprawling to try to recover.
But James wasn’t the only celebrity-athlete to congratulate Thomas for what he’s accomplished. James’s NBA rival (and a friend of Thomas’s), Houston Rockets centerpiece James Harden, also reached out. As did Thomas’s uncle, former NFL wide receivers Keyshawn Johnson, and Hall of Fame wideout Cris Carter. Former teammates with the Saints (like Chris Banjo) and the Ohio State Buckeyes (such as Braxton Miller) each sent their well-wishes:
