There hasn’t been any public progress made in contract talks between the New Orleans Saints and wide receiver Michael Thomas, but James Palmer of NFL Network reported that there’s optimism both sides will reach an agreement “sooner rather than later.”
Thomas has held out of Saints training camp in a bid to accelerate negotiations, which have been ongoing since mid-June. It was reported before camp started that both sides were not far apart, with perhaps as little as $1 million in per-season salary separating them. Thomas reportedly wants to become the first wide receiver to earn $20 million per year, while the Saints were willing to go as high as $19 million. All things considered, it’s been an amicable holdout.
Palmer also noted that some young wideouts have stepped up for the Saints in Thomas’ absence, singling out second-year pro Keith Kirkwood as a favorite target of quarterback Drew Brees. Another name to remember is undrafted rookie Emmanuel Butler, who joined the Saints after a record-setting college career at Northern Arizona.
Still, there’s no replacing Thomas and his competitive drive in practice. There’s also little chance anyone on the roster can fill in for him as a playmaker who maintains efficiency despite receiving such a high volume of targets. The good news is that it appears the Saints won’t have to ask anyone to do that for much longer.
