Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, citing a source with knowledge of the situation, reports that the Saints and WR Michael Thomas are “close” to an agreement on a long-term deal that would end his holdout.
Florio’s source dismissed the speculation that the Saints could consider trading Thomas.
From what Florio hears, this contract would end up being a five-year extension worth between $19-$20 million per year.
There are also some structural questions such as cash flow, guarantees among other things.
Florio says that this should be an easy situation to resolve, given that the two sides are close.
Thomas is set to earn a base salary of $1.15 million in 2019. According to Over The Cap, Browns WR Odell Beckham is the NFL’s highest-paid receiver at $18 million per year.
Thomas, 26, was drafted by the Saints in the second round out of Ohio State in 2016. He’s entering the final year of a four-year, $5.118 million contract that included $3.055 million guaranteed.
In 2018, Thomas played in all 16 games for the Saints and caught 125 passes for 1405 yards and nine touchdowns. Pro Football Focus rated Thomas as their No. 2 receiver out of 117 qualifying players.
We’ll have more regarding a new deal for Thomas as the news is available.
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