Michael Thomas on course to be NFL's highest-paid WR

[CGI_Ram]

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...dly-far-apart-in-extension-talks-with-saints/

Michael Thomas on course to be NFL's highest-paid WR but reportedly far apart in extension talks with Saints

After being selected in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft, all Michael Thomas has done is catch a whole lot of footballs. Thomas burst out of the gates quickly with a 92-catch rookie season during which he racked up 1,137 yards and nine touchdowns. He followed that up with a 104-1,245-5 line during his sophomore campaign, and an NFL-high 125 catches for 1,405 yards and nine more scores in Year 3.

His 321 receptions during that three-year period are more than any other player in the NFL. Among the 89 wide receivers and tight ends with 100-plus catches during that time, Thomas' 77 percent catch rate ranks second to only Falcons tight end Austin Hooper, but Thomas has more than twice as many catches as Hooper does.

So it was not surprising on Tuesday when ESPN's Dianna Russini reported that the Saints are comfortable making Thomas the highest-paid receiver in the NFL.


View: https://twitter.com/diannaespn/status/1141040101893582848?s=21


The largest current contract for a wide receiver is owned by Odell Beckham Jr., who signed a five-year, $90 million deal containing $65 million in practical guarantees last offseason. Beckham's $18 million average annual value is about $1.3 million more than the next closest wideout.

Perhaps that's why, according to NOLA.com's Jeff Duncan, Thomas and the Saints are still far apart in their extension talks despite the team's comfort with making him the highest-paid receiver in the league.


View: https://twitter.com/jeffduncan_/status/1141362100733915136?s=21


Also presumably playing into this are the ongoing contract negotiations between the Falcons and Julio Jones, and the Cowboys and Amari Cooper. Whoever makes the first move is likely to sign the smallest contract, and it could be beneficial for the players to wait and see what one or the other gets before striking a new deal. It will be fascinating to watch this all play out over the next several months.

 

[Loyal]

I would weep terribly if Michael Thomas was getting fat while watching the Rams kick that Saints ass. Really...

 

[CGI_Ram]

Thomas has delivered better numbers every season, and has has 3 very solid years.

He has always played well against our Rams, but... he never really struck me as THE top paid caliber. But, maybe he really is?

 

[OldSchool]

Best paid WR in the game disappeared in their biggest game of the year

 

[jap]

As long as our secondary can keep him under control, they can pay him whatever they want to pay him.

 

[Selassie I]

He is a hell of a talent at WR... just ask him, he'll tell you.

 

[Corbin]

Best paid WR in the game disappeared in their biggest game of the year

 

[CGI_Ram]

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...-smash-the-nfl-record-for-receiver-contracts/

Michael Thomas' reported asking price in extension talks would smash the NFL record for receiver contracts
The star Saints receiver wants to be the highest-paid receiver in the NFL by a wide margin

Michael Thomas has been one of the best receivers in the NFL over the past three years, and now he wants to be paid like it.

The problem for the Saints is that Thomas doesn't just want a raise, he wants to turn the receiver market upside down with a new deal that would make him the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history.

According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Thomas is seeking a deal that would pay him an average of $22 million per year. To put that in perspective, there's no receiver in the NFL who's even making an average of $20 million per year. The highest-paid receiver in the league right now is Odell Beckham, who has a contract that pays him an average of $18 million per season, which means Thomas isn't just looking to top that number, he's looking to blow it out of the water.

Earlier this week, it was reported that the Saints are ready to give Thomas a hefty raise to make him the highest-paid receiver in the NFL, but it seems they're not quite ready to meet his asking price. According to the Times-Picayune, the Saints are willing to pay Thomas somewhere in the neighborhood of $18 million per season, which means the two sides are about $4 million apart on what they believe Thomas' average annual salary should be.

If Thomas is also looking to beat Beckham's contract in the guaranteed money department, then the Saints are going to have pay him a lot of money up front to get him to sign. Beckham signed a five-year, $90 million deal with the Giantsback in August that included $65 million in practical guarantees.

Although Thomas' asking price might seem exorbitant, it actually makes some sense to go that high, and that's because the receiver market is about to explode. There are multiple players at the position -- including Julio Jones, A.J. Green and Amari Cooper -- who will all likely be signing extensions in the next few months. If Thomas were to sign a deal worth $18 million per year, the Saints would be getting a bargain, and that's because the market could be moving into the $19 million or $20 million per year range when any of those other three guys end up signing their extension.

No matter what Thomas ends up getting, it will be a substantial raise over what he's currently scheduled to make. The receiver is headed into the final season of his rookie deal, which will pay him a base salary of just $1.15 million in 2019. Thomas made just $915,000 in 2018, a season where the led the NFL in receptions (125) while finishing sixth in receiving yards (1405) and ninth in receiving touchdowns (nine).

Since entering the NFL as a second-round pick in 2016, Thomas has caught a total of 321 passes, which is more than any other receiver over that span. The only other player who has even hit the 300 mark is Antonio Brown, who caught 311 passes between 2016 and 2018.

 

[ScotsRam]

He's a phenomenal player to be fair. He literally never drops the ball, wins far more than his share of contested catches and he is really consistent.

If you're going to mark him down for one game against us in the NFC Championship then you get into the territory of doing the same for Goff in the superbowl, and probably every poster on this site has refused to do that very vocally.

He's worth the money if you ask me.

 

[Mister Sin]

He might be cocky, but he is definitely top 5. He deserves the money.

 

[jetplt67]

No problem, just notch up the ticket and beer prices a few bucks.

 

[tempests]

Thomas is a big reason why Brees completion % has gone up three years in a row and why Brees had an MVP type season. He caught 85% of passes thrown in his direction last year, very hard to defend but I also consider him a candidate for regression as that number is not sustainable. I also wonder how motivated the Saints are to hand out big contracts to their wideouts as long as they have a HOF QB starting for them.

Wade really did a heck of a job game planning for him in the NFC Championship, a game in which he was never a factor. Had 211 yards against us the first time and 171 the week before against the Eagles, but just 36 in our rematch.

 

[ScotsRam]

Thomas is a big reason why Brees completion % has gone up three years in a row and why Brees had an MVP type season. He caught 85% of passes thrown in his direction last year, very hard to defend but I also consider him a candidate for regression as that number is not sustainable. I also wonder how motivated the Saints are to hand out big contracts to their wideouts as long as they have a HOF QB starting for them.

Wade really did a heck of a job game planning for him in the NFC Championship, a game in which he was never a factor. Had 211 yards against us the first time and 171 the week before against the Eagles, but just 36 in our rematch.

Brees really fell of a cliff both statistically and performance wise down the stretch though - he wasn't playing at anywhere near the same level in the playoffs as in the first match. That's bound to have impacted Thomas too.

 

[CGI_Ram]

No problem, just notch up the ticket and beer prices a few bucks.

I’m all for the guys making money, but... yeah... at some point when do we have big enough contracts and hold prices for a change?

 

[jetplt67]

I’m all for the guys making money, but... yeah... at some point when do we have big enough contracts and hold prices for a change?

Unfortunately it would require customers to stop paying the prices and that may not happen

 

[Ram65]

Trade him. They don't have a replacement for Brees.

Starting to look better for Rams on Cooks' deal. That $16 M or so average is a hard one to take with Donald's and soon to be Goff's new contract.

Hard to argue with Thomas' numbers. Those catch percentage numbers are crazy. So are the contact numbers. He should get a little more than OBJ but, not $4 M per year. Bet he hits $20 M.

 

[tempests]

Brees really fell of a cliff both statistically and performance wise down the stretch though - he wasn't playing at anywhere near the same level in the playoffs as in the first match. That's bound to have impacted Thomas too.

Brees did decline but he could still get the ball to Thomas. This was the game they had right before the NFC Championship.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7NRkX1xBg0

 

[Mojo Ram]

If you're going to mark him down for one game against us in the NFC Championship then you get into the territory of doing the same for Goff in the superbowl, and probably every poster on this site has refused to do that very vocally.

Right but you won't find countless articles, podcasts and water cooler discussions about how M.Thomas disappeared in the NFCC game that he lost. Or how the great Brees played so poorly in that 2nd half.
That's the issue for myself.

I think most Rams fans would acknowledge that Goff is not an elite QB yet because we watch the games...and if someone watches the games they'd know that Thomas got schemed out and outplayed by Talib in the most important game of his career. The media determines which story line supports the superstar prop up mentality of the fans and that becomes the narrative.

When the average NFL fan lets the media and primetime highlights determine who's good and who's bad or who's trending up or down, they're quite honestly misinformed and uneducated about what's really going on in the game IMO.

In another thread there's a top 5 RB ranking. David Johnson isn't even on the list. Why? Because his name has "trended down" due to the pathetic offense he was in last season. In reality he's still a top 5 RB in the NFL. Probably top 3.
Gurley get's injured late and now he's no longer the best RB in the land...despite his incredible body of work since coming into the league 4 yrs ago.
Le'Veon Bell seems to be a media darling. More of a TMZ headline then a productive RB, yet he gets a pass for the numbers he has put up in the past.

 

[oldnotdead]

When I see stuff like that on a player one word comes to mind "DIVA". They forget or don't care that it's a team sport. Without the other guys the team won't get very far. Sooner or later the price gets too restrictive and then they are gone. Especially with WR's where that production can be spread around and each year there is another top WR prospect. RB's and WR's are probably the easiest positions to fill.

 

[Akrasian]

When I see stuff like that on a player one word comes to mind "DIVA". They forget or don't care that it's a team sport. Without the other guys the team won't get very far. Sooner or later the price gets too restrictive and then they are gone. Especially with WR's where that production can be spread around and each year there is another top WR prospect. RB's and WR's are probably the easiest positions to fill.

While annoying to fans, I don't begrudge players trying to earn as much as possible. Most players good enough to do that will be in pain the rest of their lives from playing, and I can understand wanting enough money to live in a lot of comfort AND take care of their kids as well as nieces and nephews. If teams feel a player is highly replaceable, then don't pay him a cap busting amount.