lee909

Reports in Michael Thomas not turned up and holding out till he gets a new deal.

Don't get how you sign a contract for x years then decide you want a new deal now and won't honour the deal you signed. Poor form

GeauxForMore

Last few reports I heard they weren't too far apart on the numbers. I wonder how long this hold out will last.

AsylumGuido

I can see that logic if it was a negotiated deal that he signed, but rookie deals are slotted. He has greatly outperformed his slot and deserves to get paid accordingly. Real practice doesn't begin until Friday and Thomas needs far less time with Brees to get ready for the start of the season. This could be a very good opportunity for the younger receivers to get increased reps.

K Major

Don't tell Earl Thomas that. Can't guard Mike is breaking NFL records, ELITE at his position and on pace to become one of the very best to play WR.

At the end of the day, the NFL is a business. What happens if he gets hurt/injured in the midst of negotiating a new contract? Realistically, who can blame the guy? We are at the very beginning of training camp. Not that big of a deal. He's a seasoned vet, trains hard, stays in shape ...

Meanwhile, somewhere on Metarie Dr the Mickster is Loomising.

A new deal will get done soon enough.

stickman

My new favorite word.

jeanpierre

LOL, not nitpicking, just want to share - it's actually Metairie Road, but the Saints are off of Airline Highway in Metairie, a few miles down from MSY Airport...

But Loomising??? Love, LOVE , the reference and probably no more appropriate word for a guy that somehow manages a niche to stay relevant, employed...

SaintFanInATLHELL

Not in the NFL. The NFL as a league has 3 hallmarks: contracts are not guaranteed, injuries are guaranteed, and performance is king.

MT goes out on the practice field like Dez did and ruptures his Achilles. It's game over.

MT has historic production over the first 3 seasons of his career. NFL records. He's outplayed his contract. So he needs to secure his financial future before he steps out on the field again.

BTW it works the other way too. A team will restructure a contract or cut a player in a hot minute if their production doesn't match the dollars they are being paid. After the guaranteed money, a contract isn't worth the paper it's written on.

One also needs to understand how NFL contracts are structured. Because guaranteed money is spread across the cap, the tendency is to have extensions of long length to lower the cap hit. The problem is that the market moves in the meantime and players often outplay their extensions. A contract is pretty much over once the guaranteed money runs out. So early signing extensions are the players' way of restructuring contracts for their benefit.

Just advocating for Thomas. He's a 2nd round pick that is playing like a Hall of Famer. He should get his money. And honestly I don't believe the Saints have a problem giving it to him. It's just a matter of crossing t's and dotting i's. I also believe there's a game of chicken going on between the Saints, Atlanta, Thomas, and Julio Jones, who is also trying to get his contract refreshed. Jones cannot sign any new deal before tomorrow (Friday) because the Clowns threw extra money at him last year and a deal has to hold for a calendar year before it can be amended. So whomever jumps last will probably get the best deal.

SFIAH

Super Bowl Championships: New Orleans Saints:1, Carolina:0, Atlanta Chokers: STILL ZERO

Only Atlanta choked in an unchokable situation... Life is definitely good.

The Dude

No it’s not. BOTH sides have said since the offseason began that they wanted to go ahead and get the contract done this year.
Alternatively the Saints could let him play out his contract and wind up in a bidding war with some team that decides they want to pay him 25 mil a year and build their offense around him.
Right now the contract to beat is OBJ. Next year it could be someone else’s contract at a higher number.

voodooido

The guy is a beast but he is not worth being the highest paid wr. Trade him now and let brees turn these other wr’s into studs. Do I want to keep MT? Absolutely, but he is not worth 20 mil a year

jeanpierre

I'm nervous about committing so much salary cap to one player, but @CantGuardMike was the among the best WRs in the league last season...

He ranked thusly among WRs:

REC (1st)

ReYD (6th)

ReTD (10th)

Re% (1st)

ReYd/Gm (8th)

Should he be paid as the best WR in the game, , it's not conclusive, but there's strong evidence (e.g. Receptions, Hands) that he is...