The New Orleans Saints paid through the nose to extend wide receiver Michael Thomas this offseason, giving him a five-year, $96 million deal that made him the highest-paid wideout in NFL history.
While some might relax and coast after receiving that type of payday, Thomas has done the opposite.
Through five games this season, the 26-year-old has been one of the most dominant pass-catchers in football, leading the league in both receptions (45) and yards (543) while also scoring three touchdowns.
This has not come as much of a surprise to the Saints, who knew Thomas would continue to produce all along:
“He's such a competitive player, he's such a competitive practice player that,” head coach Sean Payton said, according to Luke Johnson of The New Orleans Times-Picayune. “… Look, you can never say the money's not important. The money's important, right? But I would say he's one of those players that won't be as affected by the money maybe as some others might be. He’s really a guy that wants to win, be successful, and he can be — to a fault sometimes. (He’s) his own worst critic.”
Thomas is coming off of a 2018 campaign in which he played all 16 games and paced the NFL with 125 catches to go along with 1,405 yards and nine scores, making the Pro Bowl and earning a First-Team All-Pro selection as a result.
The 26-year-old, who played his collegiate football at Ohio State, was originally selected by New Orleans in the second round (47th pick overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft.
He has made two Pro Bowl appearances.
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