As the 2024 NFL season is set to commence this upcoming Thursday, former New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas finds himself still searching for a new home. Since being released by the Saints in March, there hasn’t been a lot of news or updates regarding a market for Thomas.
This is likely due to the high amount of injuries Thomas has suffered in recent seasons that have required surgery. To further complicate matters, Thomas has been suspended for week 1 of the 2024-25 NFL season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.
Injury concerns and his suspension aside, Thomas can still be a valuable contributor for teams who need wide receiver help. Below are two teams that would be ideal landing spots for the former All-Pro wide receiver.
Buffalo Bills
It’s no secret that the Buffalo Bills have a need at wide receiver going into the 2024 season. After losing Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis this past offseason, there isn’t a wealth of talent in the Bills current receiver core. Getting Keon Coleman in this year’s draft and signing Curtis Samuel in free agency did somewhat offset the losses of Diggs and Davis. With that said, the rest of the Bills receiver room outside of Khalil Shakir doesn’t inspire confidence. In joining the Bills, Thomas immediately becomes the best receiver on the team and provides Josh Allen with a reliable weapon in the slot.
Trying to guard Thomas, Dalton Kincaid, James Cook, and Coleman while also having to keep Allen contained in the pocket is something no defensive coordinator wants to deal with. The main concern with adding Thomas is the multitude of lower extremity injuries he has suffered in recent years, but Buffalo can’t be too picky given their current circumstances. Having Thomas would also lessen Colemans’ workload and allow him to develop without having as much pressure to be an immediate star player for the Bills.
Thomas would likely be ecstatic to join forces with Allen, who is the most accomplished quarterback he would be playing with since Drew Brees retired in 2020. If there’s any team that could help Thomas get his career back on track, it’s Buffalo.
Washington Commanders
After the Washington Commanders jettisoned former 2022 first-round draft pick Jahan Dotson to the Philadelphia Eagles, their need for a wide receiver opposite of Terry McLaurin increased dramatically. The team recently added a receiver with former Houston Texan Noah Brown to bolster the current group of Olamide Zaccheaus, Luke McCaffery, and Jamison Crowder.
However, none of the players mentioned above add as much upside as Thomas would. The Commanders need to give rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels as many weapons as possible to help him thrive, and having another veteran receiver in Thomas does exactly that. Thomas likely assumes the same role he did in his couple of seasons in New Orleans as the second option at receiver. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as it likely helps him stay healthier, with McLaurin commanding most of the opposing defense’s attention.
Any time an opponent would double McLaurin, Thomas would be waiting to make them pay with a short slant route or a crossing route in the middle of the field. This would create a headache for any defensive coordinator, and that’s not even considering the impact that Zach Ertz and Austin Ekeler offer in the passing game in addition to the other wide receivers mentioned earlier. While he may not want to play with a rookie quarterback, the upside and talent Daniels possesses is more than enough to convince a veteran like Thomas to come to the nation’s capital.
