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Michael Thomas (wide receiver, born 1993)

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Michael Thomas
refer to caption
Thomas with Ohio State in 2012
No. 13 – New Orleans Saints
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1993-03-03) March 3, 1993 (age 31)
Los Angeles, California
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:212 lb (96 kg)
Career information
High school:William Howard Taft
(Woodland Hills, California)
College:Ohio State
NFL draft:2016 / round: 2 / pick: 47
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 14, 2019
Receptions:442
Receiving yards:5,211
Receiving touchdowns:30
Stats at Pro Football Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Michael William Thomas Jr.[1] (born March 3, 1993)[2] is an American football wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Ohio State University. Thomas holds the NFL record for the most receptions by a player through his first three seasons, with 321. Thomas led the league in receptions in the 2018 season.

Early years

Thomas attended Taft High School in Woodland Hills, California.[3] As a senior, he had 86 receptions for a state-leading 1,656 yards and 21 touchdowns for the Toreadors football team.[4] Thomas was ranked by Rivals.com as a four-star recruit.[5] He committed to Ohio State University to play college football.[6] Thomas attended Fork Union Military Academy for a year after high school and was roommates with fellow Ohio State teammate Cardale Jones.[7]

College career

Thomas played in 11 games as a true freshman in 2012. He had three receptions for 22 yards in the 2012 season.[8] As a sophomore in 2013, Thomas was redshirted.[9] Thomas entered his redshirt sophomore season in 2014 as a backup, but eventually took over as a starting wide receiver.[10][11] He ended the season leading the team in receptions with 54 for 799 yards and nine touchdowns.[12] In the National Semifinals against Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, he had seven receptions for 66 yards and a touchdown in the victory.[13] In the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship victory over Oregon, he had four receptions for 53 yards.[14] In the 2015 season, he had 56 receptions for 781 receiving yards and nine receiving touchdowns.[15] On January 5, 2016, he announced his intention to enter the 2016 NFL Draft.[16]

College statistics

Season Receiving
G Rec Yards Avg Long TD
2012 11 3 22 7.3 11 0
2014 15 54 799 14.8 79 9
2015 13 56 781 13.9 50 9
Total 39 113 1,602 14.2 79 18

[17]

College awards and honors

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 2+3⁄4 in
(1.90 m) 		212 lb
(96 kg) 		32+1⁄8 in
(0.82 m) 		10+1⁄2 in
(0.27 m)		 4.57 s 1.63 s 2.63 s 4.13 s 6.80 s 35 in
(0.89 m)		 10 ft 6 in
(3.20 m)		 18 reps
All values from NFL Combine[18][19]

On April 29, 2016, Thomas was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the second round (47th overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft.[20] He was the sixth wide receiver to be selected that year.[21]

2016 season: Rookie year

See also: 2016 New Orleans Saints season

On May 9, 2016, the Saints signed Thomas to a four-year, $5.11 million contract with $2.60 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $1.92 million.[22][23]

The Saints named Thomas one of their starting wide receivers, along with Brandin Cooks, for the season opener against the Oakland Raiders. He finished his first NFL start with six receptions for 58 yards.[24] On September 26, 2016, he caught his first NFL touchdown on a three-yard pass from Drew Brees during the second quarter of a Monday Night Football matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. Thomas finished the 45–32 loss with seven catches for 71 yards and a touchdown.[25] On October 23, 2016, he had his first game with over 100 receiving yards after he finished with a season-high ten receptions for 130 yards in a 21–27 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.[26] During a Week 9 road game against the San Francisco 49ers, Thomas caught two touchdowns and made five catches for 73 yards, as the Saints routed the 49ers by a score of 41–23.[27] On November 27, Thomas caught nine passes for 108 yards and tied his season-high of two touchdown receptions in a 49–21 win over the Los Angeles Rams.[28][29] In the regular season finale against the Falcons, he had 10 receptions for 156 yards and a touchdown.[30] During his rookie season, Thomas set franchise records for a rookie in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns.[31][32]

2017 season

See also: 2017 New Orleans Saints season

In his second season, Thomas came into the year as the Saints' number one receiver after Brandin Cooks was traded to the New England Patriots.[33] He was named to his first Pro Bowl.[34] He finished the season with 104 receptions for 1,245 yards and five touchdowns.[35] His 104 receptions finished third in the NFL, and his 196 receptions in his first two seasons in the league were the most in NFL history, passing Jarvis Landry's 194 set in 2015.[36] Thomas appeared in his first career playoff game on January 7, 2018, against division rival Carolina. He recorded eight receptions for 131 yards in the 31–26 win.[37] In the Divisional Round against the Minnesota Vikings, he had seven receptions for 85 yards and two touchdowns in the 29–24 loss.[38] Thomas was ranked 81st by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.[39]

2018 season

See also: 2018 New Orleans Saints season

In the season-opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Thomas caught a franchise-record 16 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown, breaking the century-mark for the fourth time in his career and eclipsing 200-career receptions.[40] The 16 receptions were the most by any player for the 2018 season for a single game.[41] The next week, he scored twice more with 89 yards on 12 catches in a 21–18 win over the Cleveland Browns. With his 12 receptions, Thomas set an NFL record for the most catches in the first two games with 28, the record previously held by Andre Rison with 26 set in 1994.[42] In Week 3, he added 10 receptions for 129 yards against the Atlanta Falcons. His 38 receptions through the first three games were the most in NFL history.[43]

In Week 9 against the Los Angeles Rams, Thomas had 12 catches for a franchise-record 211 yards, including a 72-yard touchdown. Upon scoring, Thomas paid tribute to former Saints wide receiver Joe Horn by recreating his famous cell phone touchdown celebration,[44] which drew a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Horn said he "teared up" at the gesture and bought Thomas' jersey.[45] This Week 9 performance earned Thomas NFC Offensive Player of the Week.[46]

Thomas finished the season with 125 receptions for 1,405 yards and nine touchdowns. He led the league in receptions and finished sixth in the league in receiving yards.[47] He also set the Saints franchise record in receiving yards, passing Joe Horn's 1,399 yards set in 2004.[48] He was named to his second straight Pro Bowl and was named first-team All-Pro.[49]

2019 season

See also: 2019 New Orleans Saints season

On July 31, 2019, Thomas signed a five-year, $100 million contract extension with $61 million guaranteed with the Saints. This made Thomas both the highest paid wide receiver and the first non-quarterback offensive player to sign a $100 million contract in NFL history.[50]

During the season-opener against the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football, Thomas caught 10 passes for 123 yards in the narrow 30–28 victory.[51] Two weeks later against the Seattle Seahawks, Thomas caught five passes for 54 yards and his first touchdown of the season in the 33–27 road victory.[52] During Week 5 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he caught 11 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns as the Saints won 31–24.[53] During Week 7 against the Chicago Bears, Thomas caught nine passes for 131 yards in the 36–25 road victory.[54] In the next game against the Arizona Cardinals, he caught 11 passes for 112 yards and a touchdown in the 31–9 victory. [55] During Week 10 against the Atlanta Falcons, Thomas finished with a season-high 13 catches for 152 yards as the Saints lost 9–26.[56] During Week 11 against the Buccaneers, he caught 8 passes for 114 yards and a touchdown in the 34–17 win.[57] Thomas was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for his play in November.[58] In week 14 against the San Francisco 49ers, Thomas caught 11 passes for 134 yards and a touchdown in the 48–46 loss. During the game, Thomas set a new Saints' record for receiving yards in a single season. [59]

NFL statistics

Legend
Led the league
Bold Career high

Regular season

Year Team Games Receiving Rushing Fumbles
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD FUM Lost
2016 NO 15 12 92 1,137 12.4 46 9 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 2
2017 NO 16 14 104 1,245 12.0 43 5 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2018 NO 16 16 125 1,405 11.2 72T 9 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 2
2019 NO 13 12 121 1,424 11.8 49 7 1 -9 -9.0 -9 0 0 0
Total 59 53 442 5,211 11.8 72T 30 1 -9 -9.0 -9 0 4 4

Postseason

Year Team Games Receiving Rushing Fumbles
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2017 NO 2 2 15 216 14.4 46 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2018 NO 2 2 16 207 12.9 42 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 4 4 31 423 13.6 46 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

NFL records

  • Most receptions by a player through first two games of a season: 28
  • Most receptions by a player through the first 10 games of a season: 94
  • Most receptions by a player through his first two seasons: 196
  • Most receptions by a player through his first three seasons: 321

Saints franchise records

  • Most receptions in a game: 16 (September 9, 2018, vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
  • Most receiving yards in a game: 211 (November 4, 2018, vs Los Angeles Rams)
  • Most receptions in a season by a rookie: 92 (2016)[60][61]
  • Most receiving yards in a season by a rookie: 1,137 (2016)[62][63]
  • Most receiving touchdowns in a season by a rookie: 9 (2016)[64][65]
  • Most receptions in a season: 125 (2018)[66]
  • Most receiving yards in a season: 1,405 (2018)[66]

Personal life

Thomas is the nephew of former NFL wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson.[67][68][69]

References

  1. ^ "Michael Thomas Pro-Football-Reference Profile". rbref.com.
  2. ^ [1]
  3. ^ Sondheimer, Eric (November 18, 2010). "Taft High's Mike Thomas catching on fast". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  4. ^ Thomas, Michael (April 25, 2016). "For Hire: Reliable Wide Receiver Who Comes Up Big". The Players' Tribune. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  5. ^ "Michael Thomas – Rivals.com". n.rivals.com. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  6. ^ "2012 Ohio State Football Commitment List". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  7. ^ Doughty, Doug (January 7, 2015). "Ohio State passing duo got its start at Fork Union in central Virginia". roanoke.com. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  8. ^ "Michael Thomas 2012 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  9. ^ Wasserman, Ari (April 11, 2014). "'I have been waiting for spring to come around': Ohio State WR Michael Thomas putting tough redshirt season behind him". cleveland.com. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  10. ^ Ward, Austin (September 26, 2014). "'Wow moments' arriving for Ohio State's Michael Thomas". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  11. ^ Ohio State football: Michael Thomas rises to the top
  12. ^ "Michael Thomas 2014 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  13. ^ "Sugar Bowl - Ohio State vs Alabama Box Score, January 1, 2015". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  14. ^ "College Football Championship - Oregon vs Ohio State Box Score, January 12, 2015". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  15. ^ "Michael Thomas 2015 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  16. ^ Goodbread, Chase. "Ohio State WR Michael Thomas declares for 2016 NFL Draft". NFL.com. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  17. ^ "Michael Thomas College Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  18. ^ "2016 NFL Draft Profile: Michael Thomas". NFL.com. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  19. ^ "2016 Combine workout: Michael Thomas". nfl.com. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  20. ^ Terrell, Katherine (April 29, 2016). "New Orleans Saints select Ohio State WR Michael Thomas in Round 2". NOLA.com. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  21. ^ "2016 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  22. ^ "Saints Sign Rankins, Thomas and Lasco to Four-Year Deals; Release Ballard, Hunt and Opurum". New Orleans Saints. May 9, 2016. Retrieved November 6, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  23. ^ "Michael Thomas Contract Details, Salary Cap Breakdowns, Salaries, Bonuses". Spotrac.com. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  24. ^ "Oakland Raiders at New Orleans Saints - September 11th, 2016". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  25. ^ "Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints - September 26th, 2016". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  26. ^ "New Orleans Saints at Kansas City Chiefs - October 23rd, 2016". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  27. ^ "New Orleans Saints at San Francisco 49ers - November 6th, 2016". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  28. ^ "NFL Player Profile: Michael Thomas". NFL.com. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  29. ^ "Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans Saints - November 27th, 2016". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  30. ^ "New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons - January 1st, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  31. ^ "Michael Thomas 2016 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  32. ^ Katzenstein, Josh (January 1, 2017). "Saints' Michael Thomas sets trio of franchise rookie receiving records". NOLA.com. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  33. ^ Bergman, Jeremy (March 10, 2017). "Saints trade Brandin Cooks to Patriots for No. 32 pick". NFL.com. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  34. ^ "NFL announces 2018 Pro Bowl rosters". NFL. December 19, 2017. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
  35. ^ "Michael Thomas 2017 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  36. ^ Erickson, Joel (December 31, 2017). "Michael Thomas breaks Saints' record for receptions in a single season, NFL record for most catches in first two years". The New Orleans Advocate. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  37. ^ "Wild Card - Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints - January 7th, 2018". Pro-Football-Reference. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  38. ^ "Divisional Round - New Orleans Saints at Minnesota Vikings - January 14th, 2018". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  39. ^ "'Top 100 Players of 2018': New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas". NFL.com. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
  40. ^ Hebert, Michael (September 9, 2018). "Game recap: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 48, New Orleans Saints 40". New Orleans Saints. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  41. ^ "Most receptions, single game, 2018 season". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
  42. ^ Triplett, Mike (September 16, 2018). "Thomas sets catch mark, has 2 TDs in Saints' win". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  43. ^ Parks, James. "Michael Thomas making his case as the NFL's best wide receiver". 24/7 Sports. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  44. ^ Epstein, Jori. "Michael Thomas replicates ex-Saints WR Joe Horn's famous cellphone celebration vs. Rams". USA Today. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  45. ^ Curtis, Charles. "Joe Horn on Michael Thomas doing his cellphone celebration: 'I teared up'". USA Today. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  46. ^ "Kareem Hunt, Michael Thomas among Players of the Week". NFL.com. November 7, 2018. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  47. ^ "2018 NFL Receiving". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  48. ^ Tyree, Ameer (December 30, 2018). "Saints' Michael Thomas breaks franchise record for single-season receiving yards". SportingNews.com. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  49. ^ Teope, Herbie (January 4, 2019). "All-Pro Team: Donald, Mahomes among highlights". NFL.com. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  50. ^ Patra, Kevin (July 31, 2019). "Michael Thomas agrees to 5-year, $100M extension". NFL.com.
  51. ^ "Lutz's 58-yard field goal lifts Saints over Texans, 30-28". www.espn.com. Associated Press. September 9, 2019. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  52. ^ "No Brees, no problem: Bridgewater, Saints top Seahawks 33–27". www.espn.com. September 22, 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  53. ^ "Bridgewater's breakout lifts Saints past Bucs 31-24". www.espn.com. October 6, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  54. ^ "Bridgewater throws for 2 TDs, surging Saints top Bears 36-25". www.espn.com. October 20, 2019. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  55. ^ "Saints triumphant in Brees' return, top Cardinals 31-9". www.espn.com. October 27, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  56. ^ "Falcons stun first-place Saints, 26-9". www.espn.com. November 10, 2019. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  57. ^ "Brees throws for 228 yards, 3 TDs as Saints beat Bucs 34-17". www.espn.com. November 17, 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  58. ^ Gordon, Grant. "Lamar Jackson among Players of the Month for Nov". nfl.com. The National Football League. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  59. ^ "Garoppolo's 4 TD passes help 49ers top Saints, 48-46". www.espn.com. December 8, 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  60. ^ "Michael Thomas 2016 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  61. ^ Katzenstein, Josh (January 1, 2017). "Saints' Michael Thomas sets trio of franchise rookie receiving records". NOLA.com. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  62. ^ "Michael Thomas 2016 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  63. ^ Katzenstein, Josh (January 1, 2017). "Saints' Michael Thomas sets trio of franchise rookie receiving records". NOLA.com. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  64. ^ "Michael Thomas 2016 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  65. ^ Katzenstein, Josh (January 1, 2017). "Saints' Michael Thomas sets trio of franchise rookie receiving records". NOLA.com. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  66. ^ a b "New Orleans Saints Single-Season Receiving Leaders". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  67. ^ Braziller, Zach (January 11, 2015). "Ohio State's Thomas can do great things with the damn ball". New York Post. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  68. ^ Wasserman, Ari (October 4, 2014). "Keyshawn Johnson says nephew, Ohio State's Mike Thomas, 'still learning how to play': 7 point breakdown". cleveland.com. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  69. ^ "Ohio State football: After redshirt year, Michael Thomas ready to make a difference". Buckeye Xtra Sports. Archived from the original on September 29, 2014.


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