Michael Thomas made headlines for the Saints in 2019 with one of the best receiver seasons that any singular receiver has ever had. However, he followed that season up with a year that all of us hopefully will quickly forget about.
He barely played in half of the games for the Saints last season and when he did play, he didn’t produce nearly as much as he did the year prior. Most fans will blame that on the poor play of his quarterback, who was Taysom Hill for a few games as well.
With the performance that Michael Thomas put up last season, it is not out of the box to think that the Saints could trade him this offseason.
With Tre’Quan Smith and Deonte Harris playing the best they have in their careers, Thomas is looking far less needed than a quarterback is at this point, not only for next year but for the long-term future as well.
The three quarterbacks that we are going to offer Michael Thomas for will be long-term solutions and will be worth the asking price. Here are three realistic, blockbuster trades that the Saints could use to deal Michael Thomas and get their QB of the future.
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins didn’t seem as enthused about Tua Tagovailoa as we did. Before the last draft, I wanted the Saints to trade into the top picks to draft the quarterback out of Alabama. Fast forward one year later and they have the opportunity to trade for him.
Last year, it took the Dolphins time to learn to trust Tagovailoa. Even reports now have the Dolphins drafting another quarterback in the top five. If that is accurate, then they would be better off moving on from Tagovailoa than having two of him.
It is already projected by multiple sources that the Dolphins are going to look at acquiring Packers’ running back Aaron Jones in free agency. Therefore, a trade for Michael Thomas would give the Dolphins exactly what they would need for next season.
A pure runner, a great receiver, and they could draft another top quarterback like Zach Wilson in the NFL Draft this year. However, they might also require a little more than just Thomas for Tua so we threw in a third-round pick as well.
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are in a bind. They want to keep their star-studded quarterback, but he no longer wants to be a part of the team or organization. In fact, he has gone so far as to say that he will never suit up in a Texans uniform again.
It is safe to assume that the Texans are going to have to trade Watson. I can’t see them realistically letting him rot on the bench while making millions of dollars. A trade would allow them to get draft and player compensation in return for his talents.
The Texans made the mistake of trading away their superstar wide receiver last year for an aging running back. This is their opportunity to get a receiver back as well as getting two first-round talents in the process.
Thomas is arguably built the same caliber as DeAndre Hopkins so the Texans could use him. They could then take the draft capital and move up into the top five picks to draft a quarterback like Trey Lance, Zach Wilson, or Justin Fields.
Seattle Seahawks
Russell Wilson has been one of the top-listed quarterbacks linked to New Orleans over the last couple of weeks. The biggest downside to trade for Wilson would be the cap hit the team would take while they are already over by tens of millions.
However, if they were to trade someone with a high cap hit then it would lessen the hit the black and gold would have to take. By giving up Michael Thomas, that not only adds a huge element to this potential trade, but that also frees up cap space to be able to use on the QB.
Tyler Lockett’s contract is up at the end of the 2021 season and this would deter them from signing him back. They might even look to deal Lockett for more draft capital before the start of the season, but that is for them to decide later.
On top of Michael Thomas, the Saints would very minimum have to add in the three first-round picks the Seahawks are going to be looking for. Outside of that, this would solidify the Saints as a playoff team for years to come.