WR Michael Thomas Gets Record 5-Year, $100 Million Extension from Saints

New Orleans Saints' wide receiver Michael Thomas in 2018
New Orleans Saints' wide receiver Michael Thomas in 2018. Photo by Stephen Lew/CSM/REX/Shutterstock (9884388o)

New Orleans Saints’ wide receiver Michael Thomas decided to sit out the start of the team’s training camp in order to leverage a new contract. Thomas’ tactic proved to be fruitful, as Saints’ acted swiftly and presented him with a record-breaking extension.

According to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, Saints and Thomas agreed to a five-year extension worth $100 million with $61 million guaranteed. This makes the 26-year-old Pro Bowler the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history with $20 million annual salary. The previous record was held by Odell Beckham Jr., whose contract nets him $18 million per year on average.

Thomas was entering the final year of his rookie contract in 2019 and was set to make $1.148 million this season.

There is no doubt that Michael Thomas, who was the 47th pick in 2016, deserved to get paid. Since entering the league, Thomas was Saints’ best receiver and has established himself as one of the best WRs in the game. In the past three years, he had 321 receptions for 3,787 yards and 23 touchdowns.

In 2018 alone, Thomas led the league in receptions with 125 while having career-high 1,405 receiving touchdowns. This brought him his second Pro Bowl appearances and First-team All-Pro honors.

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