2019 Saints Season in Review: Michael Thomas
It's hard to say anything that hasn't been already said about the performance Michael Thomas put up in 2019. The New Orleans Saints offense thrived off a career year and record-setting receiving campaign by the fourth-year receiver. There were many accolades that came Thomas' way because of his season, most notably setting the single-season reception record that was previously held by Marvin Harrison in 2002 (143).
Michael Thomas - At a Glance
- Approximate Value: 18
- Pro Football Focus Grade: 90.4
- Pro Football Focus Rank: 3rd out of 122
- Receiving Grade: 90.7 (1st)
- Total Receptions: 149 (185 targets)
- Receiving Yards: 1,725 (583 YAC - 5th overall, 1st among WR)
- Receiving Touchdowns: 9
- Catch Percentage: 80.5
Thomas accounted for 91 first downs for the Saints in 2019, with Atlanta's Julio Jones being the next closest at 77. One of the most glaring stats you'll find from Thomas' 2019 is on ESPN Next Gen Stats, which shows his TAY%, or percent share of team's air yards that came in at 41.3 - second to Denver's Courtland Sutton. Perhaps one of the most underrated things to come out of his season was the fact that he had strong production without Drew Brees being his quarterback for five games. Teddy Bridgewater leaned on Thomas heavily in that five-game span, which saw Thomas consistently produce.
Out of several sampled sites (FOX, NBC Sports, ESPN, Pro Football Focus, and Football Database), it was interesting to find how different the YAC (yards after catch) stats were. For instance, Thomas was listed with 588 yards after catch on PFF, but was considerably higher at 609 on NBC's stats. While that seems like a topic for another day, the fact remains that Thomas was consistently the top wide receiver in that category, averaging fourth or fifth-best with running backs and tight ends, finishing out higher.
Thomas' season saw him become a unanimous first-team All-Pro, AP and PFWA All-NFL team, Pro Bowler, and the league's Offensive Player of the Year while leading the NFL in receptions and yardage. Thomas surpassed Randy Moss for having the most receiving yards among any player in their first four seasons, and also finished with a single-season record eight games with at least 10 catches or more.
Much was made of Thomas signing a massive contract extension prior to the start of the season, which was mainly criticism for making him the game's first non-quarterback $100 million player. However, he's lived up to the hype and then some for the Saints, and is showing no signs of slowing down. It's easy to say that it will be hard for Thomas to replicate the season he had in 2019, but you simply can't count out 'Can't Guard Mike'.
