Michael Thomas reportedly could be traded from the New Orleans Saints, so here are the contending teams that need him the most.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported on Saturday that some people “in league circles believe that the Saints could be willing to move him, and/or that Thomas could be interested in moving.”
Thomas was fined for punching a teammate a couple of weeks ago during practice and has been dealing with a hamstring injury so his value might not be as high as it would’ve been last year, but when he’s healthy Thomas is one of the top wide receivers in the league.
His head coach Sean Payton quickly tried to shut down the trade rumors on Twitter, as he tweeted that the reporters are “Insiders on the Outside where they belong.” The rumors came from a respected writer and it looks like the Buccaneers have a better chance than New Orleans does at winning the division, as they’ve signed Antonio Brown to a one-year deal to give Tom Brady another weapon.
So with that said, let’s examine the top four fits for Thomas if he’s indeed going to be traded.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles would be the perfect fit for Thomas, as this team is banged up throughout the offense and are the frontrunners to win the terrible NFC East.
Carson Wentz has had to literally put the team on his back, as he’s without his top five weapons. Zach Ertz was placed on the IR and is out for 4-6 weeks with an ankle injury. DeSean Jackson is also dealing with an ankle injury himself and head coach Doug Pederson said he is expected to miss “significant time”. Running back Miles Sanders is out with a knee injury with wide receivers Jalen Reagor and Alshon Jeffery also hurt. It’s safe to say that Wentz needs an explosive and talented player like Thomas to pair with rookie Travis Fulgham.
The Eagles losing record might not seem like they are a playoff team, but someone has to win the NFC East and you never know what could happen if they can get back their skill players before hosting a potential first-round playoff game. Thomas would easily make them a much more dangerous squad.
Green Bay Packers
Aaron Rodgers throwing touchdowns to Thomas? It could happen. Aaron Nagler reported that the Packers have been “calling around” for wide receiver help before the trade deadline and this would be a huge splash.
Green Bay seems to be primed for one of the top seeds going into the playoffs even without much wide receiver help for their Hall of Fame quarterback. They were one win away from making it to the Super Bowl last year and many believed that the team was going to get Rodgers an offensive weapon in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, but instead, they drafted Rodgers’ eventual replacement–quarterback Jordan Love.
The Packers have their shot to redeem themselves if they can acquire Thomas from New Orleans in preparation for their playoff run.
Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks were thought to be the favorite to bring in Brown after he completed his suspension but as I mentioned, the Buccaneers got to him first. Seattle is at the top of the challenging NFC West at a perfect 5-0, but if Russell Wilson wanted to bring in Brown so badly before he went to Tampa Bay, then it should send a message to his front office that he needs more weapons if the Seahawks want to get past the rest of the NFC. Thomas fits that bill and he would give opposing teams nightmares, as he would be paired with young wide receiver D.K. Metcalf.
New England Patriots
It’s impossible to leave the Patriots out of this list because they are always a contender and yes, they need wide receiver help. Julian Edelman is the only strong weapon that Cam Newton has and if they want to be a real Wild Card threat then there’s no question that they have to add to their offense. Bill Belichick doesn’t have a history of drafting well so it wouldn’t be a bad idea for him to send the Saints some draft picks in return for Thomas to get the Patriots back into being real threats in the AFC.
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