New Orleans Saints‘ star receiver Michael Thomas joins the group of players failing to show up to the first days of the preseason training camp. He is holding out from joining the team until the Saints reach a new deal with him.
Dianna Russini reported last month that the Saints’ front office was comfortable making him the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL. According to Yahoo Sports, Thomas wants to be the first receiver to be paid $20 million a year.
“I’ve been around too long to be surprised,” general manager Mickey Loomis said about Thomas failing to show up to training camp, according to ESPN. “It’s always a negotiation. It’s a give and take. And then ultimately the urgency that you’d like to have happen in February, March, April or May gets dragged out into training camp. It’s just the nature of the business.”
Head coach Sean Paytonsaid that the receiver was the only player on the Saints’ roster that failed to show up to the beginning of the preseason training camp.
Thomas has a 85 percent completion rate, according to Pro Football Reference, which is the best among all receivers in 27 years. Thomas is also the only player in the history of the NFL to make over 300 catches in the first three years of his career in the NFL.
It’s unknown when Thomas will get his deal, and how much it will turn out to be.
“We’ve had some conversations, and I like keeping that close to the vest until there’s something to report, but look, we love what Mike’s done for us,” Loomis told NFL.com. “He’s a fantastic player, one of the best at his position in the league, and hopefully we can keep him a Saint for a long time as well.”
Saints are among of the 26 teams that have started preseason training ahead of the new season. The Cincinnati Bengals, Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders are set to start the camps on Friday.
