Mike T jumps on First Take with Cam Jordan to make an announcement. pic.twitter.com/1K5OwpmZLm
— Adam Ney (@sayneykid) October 16, 2020
Cameron Jordan was posted up in what appears to be a hallway at the New Orleans Saints training facility, discussing his experience as one of the longest-tenured members of the team on ESPN’s “First Take” when he welcomed a surprise guest: superstar wide receiver Michael Thomas.
Thomas had been fined and benched for their Week 5 game with the Los Angeles Chargers after starting a fight in practice with a teammate, but it was all smiles when he stumbled upon Jordan’s interview.
After initially nodding his hellos to the camera, Thomas walked away and shouted back to Jordan over his shoulder: “Tell them I’ll be back next week.”
Jordan laughed, passed on the news with a thumb’s up, and got back to business. He’s a real pro’s pro and should adjust well to a media job once he’s hung up his cleats (and maybe after breaking Rickey Jackson’s all-time sacks record in New Orleans; Jordan is up 88.5, trailing Jackson’s 115.0).
Without overanalyzing this moment too deeply, it’s good to see Jordan and Thomas being on such good terms after what was an ugly incident in practice last week. Malcolm Jenkins, elected a team captain in his first year back in New Orleans after six seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, said that Thomas’s teammates understood that the fight was a one-off issue and that they’re all eager to get back to work with him. So this friendly exchange might add to that point.
And the real story is here is that Thomas expects to return in Week 7 after missing several games with an ankle sprain. He had practiced on a limited basis for two weeks before the Chargers game, and if all goes well he’ll suit up for his next matchup after six weeks of rest. We’ll know for certain whether he’s fully participating in practice once the next injury report is released next Wednesday, but it sure looks like he’ll be catching passes from Drew Brees sooner rather than later.
