Michael Thomas and the New Orleans Saints are not in a good place. The wide receiver and organization clearly view the fallout from his high ankle sprain in a different light, and it’s entirely possible that the New Orleans Saints trade Michael Thomas to a new organization in the coming months. Doing this would mean taking on a massive amount of dead money, but the Saints have never let the financial side of life dictate their roster moves. Even with all the drama, there should still be plenty of teams interested in adding a player like Thomas to the roster.
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To be clear, a trade probably won’t happen any time soon. Thomas is still recovering from his surgery and won’t be back on the field for quite some time. However, if both sides haven’t resolved their issues by the trade deadline, we could see something happen.
Four Teams That Could Trade For Michael Thomas
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars have their franchise quarterback, and now they need to give him support. DJ Chark, Laviska Shenault, and Marvin Jones are a fine trio, but they don’t instill fear in the opposing defense. Say what you will about his slant-heavy route tree, but Thomas is nearly unstoppable in the short and intermediate part of the field. New Orleans needs a cornerback following Patrick Robinson’s surprise retirement, so a deal involving Thomas for C.J. Henderson could make sense for both sides.
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions might just have the worst supporting cast in football. T.J. Hockenson is a solid tight end, but the wide receiver duo of Breshad Perriman and Tyrell Williams is incredibly uninspiring. This team has a clear need at the position and plenty of draft capital after trading Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams. The biggest X-factor here is head coach Dan Campbell. On the one hand, Campbell spent years in New Orleans, so he knows just how good Thomas can be. On the other, if he and Thomas also don’t see eye-to-eye, then this trade will never come to fruition.
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens spent the entire offseason trying to revamp their wide receiver room. However, the plan did not come to fruition. After striking out on guys like Juju Smith-Schuster and Corey Davis, the team settled for Sammy Watkins in free agency. They then selected Rashod Bateman in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, but he is already injured. Even when Bateman gets back on the field, this team could use some more reinforcements at the position. Thomas obviously won’t be ready to take the field for a little bit, but he’d easily be the best receiver on the roster when fully healthy.
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Miami Dolphins
Jaylen Waddle is tearing up training camp, but the rest of Miami’s offensive weapons leave a lot to be desired. DeVante Parker’s massive 2019 looks like a complete outlier, Preston Williams never recaptured his rookie magic, and Will Fuller is already hurt. The team could use another receiver to give Tua Tagovailoa a real shot, and Thomas would be a great add in the second half of the year.
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