Michael Thomas likely sidelined to start 2021 season, per report

Thomas will miss the start of the season recovering from a surgery to repair ankle ligaments

Disastrous news struck the web on Friday morning as it was reported by multiple sources that New Orleans Saints star WR Michael Thomas will miss the beginning of the 2021 after undergoing surgery to repair ankle ligaments back in June. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport is reporting that Thomas “could be on the sideline for weeks” after the surgery which comes with a recommended four months of recovery. Depending on when exactly in June Thomas underwent this surgery, if the full four months of recovery were applied the best case scenario for the Saints would be to get their star receiver back in October for the Week 4 contest vs the New York Giants.

Thomas is coming off of an oft-injured 2020 season which saw him miss nine games of the season, tallying just 45 receptions after his record-setting 156 the season before. He’s been the top receiver on the Saints ever since Sean Payton and co. drafted him out of Ohio State in 2016, and his performance in the 2019 season earned him NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors, after setting an NFL record with 156 receptions in the 16-game season.

It’s unclear why Thomas elected to have this surgery in June, so close to the season, rather earlier in the offseason. In time, the Saints will have to be without their most reliable pass catcher, and a WR corps that was looking dismal even with Thomas will have to cope without him for at least part of this upcoming season.

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