Michael Thomas’ injury has limited the New Orleans Saints star to just 10 games in the last three seasons. Now, the two-time All-Pro wide receiver is starting a Saints season as healthy as he’s been in years, and Thomas recently opened up about what he’s been going through during his recovery process.

“I don't want to use this as an excuse, but also, when you get surgeries and they put hardware in, sometimes your body rejects the hardware,” Thomas told ESPN’s Katherine Terrell. “Your body responds and healing responds to it. Whatever, I guess is, the 1%? I guess I'm in that category.”

This Michael Thomas injury admission comes after toe and ankle surgeries kept the Saints WR out for nearly three full seasons. He tried rehabbing the injuries at various points and ended up having surgery on both, which is when his body rejected the hardware that doctors surgically implanted.

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Thomas’ former wide receivers coach — and current Saints quarterbacks coach — Ronald Curry confirmed the pass-catcher’s medical issues, telling ESPN it was a “stress reaction” and that, “He did nothing wrong, his body just didn't react to the surgeries like it should have.”

After all the medical issues, Thomas is now back and fully healthy ahead of the Saints’ 2023 season. He has a new quarterback in Derek Carr, and if those two can get on the same page, the team has a great chance to win the woefully weak NFC South this year. Thomas and the Saints open their 2023 campaign in Week 1 vs. the Tennessee Titans.