The New Orleans Saints have been working all summer toward a contract extension with wide receiver Michael Thomas, and it appears they’ll have some added motivation. Per an NFL Network report from Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo, Thomas did not report for the first day of Saints training camp and plans to hold out until he and the Saints reach an agreement on his new deal.
Adam Schefter of ESPN echoed their report, adding that the Saints have been engaged in talks with Thomas’ representatives for weeks. Thomas is under contract for the final year of his rookie deal, which will pay him just $1,1 million.
The most recent report suggested the gulf between the two sides had narrowed, with Thomas satisfied by becoming the NFL’s first wide receiver to earn $20 million per year — a drop from his initial asking price of $22 million. For their part, the Saints slightly bumped their offer up to as much as $19 million per year after it was reported in June that they were comfortable paying out $18 million annually.
With the two sides being so close to what the other is wanting — just $1 million per season, if all reporting has been accurate — it should not take long for this one to get worked out. But the Saints do not have much recent history of negotiating contract extensions after the start of training camp, and they reportedly wanted to iron out a new deal with Thomas before it began this year. At the same time, they’ve rarely had players not named Drew Brees who could threaten a holdout.
