Back in June, it was reported that the New Orleans Saints hoped to iron out a contract extension with wide receiver Michael Thomas before the team gathered for its July 25 training camp start date. So it’s reasonable to expect gears to start moving and negotiations to pick up once the calendar lurches towards that self-imposed deadline.
Per a report from Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports, that’s exactly what’s happening. Robinson reported that the Saints offered Thomas a deal worth $18-$19 million per year, a slight bump up from their proposal back in June at just $18 million per year. Robinson also reports that while Thomas has backed down from his initial request of $22 million per year, he still wants to be the first NFL receiver to earn $20 million per season.
If the Saints can hit that number and get crafty with guarantees to make the structure work for them, they might be able to get this deal finalized before camp starts. Something like a five-year, $100 million contract with about $70 million in guarantees could make both sides happy. With over $11.7 million in 2019 salary cap space to work with, the Saints have enough resources to structure this deal in a way that would preserve future cap flexibility.
These negotiations are obviously the biggest item left on the Saints’ offseason docket, and securing a new deal with Thomas ahead of schedule (his rookie contract isn’t up until next offseason) gives them time and money to commit towards paying other young stars like running back Alvin Kamara and cornerback Marshon Lattimore. There’s still a ways to go before both sides put pens to paper, but this latest report should certainly have fans feeling optimistic.
