Michael Thomas (wide receiver, born 1993) facts for kids
Thomas with the New Orleans Saints in 2018
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| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||
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| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | March 3, 1993 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 212 lb (96 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Taft (Woodland Hills, California) |
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| College: | Ohio State (2012–2015) | ||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2016 / Round: 2 / Pick: 47 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||
Michael William Thomas Jr. (born on March 3, 1993) is a talented American professional football player. He plays as a wide receiver, which means he catches passes from the quarterback. Michael played college football for Ohio State University. He was chosen by the New Orleans Saints in the 2016 NFL Draft.
Michael Thomas holds an amazing record for the most catches by a player in a single season, with 149 receptions in 2019. He was the top player in the league for catches in both the 2018 and 2019 seasons. In 2019, he also led the league in receiving yards. That same year, he was named the NFL Offensive Player of the Year, a huge honor!
Contents
Early Life and High School Football
Michael Thomas grew up in Los Angeles, California. He went to Taft High School in Woodland Hills, California. During his senior year, he was a star on the school's football team. He caught 86 passes for an incredible 1,656 yards and scored 21 touchdowns.
Experts at Rivals.com thought he was a top player, giving him a "four-star recruit" rating. This meant he was one of the best young players in the country. Michael decided to play college football at Ohio State University. Before starting at Ohio State, he spent a year at Fork Union Military Academy.
College Football Career
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Michael Thomas started playing for Ohio State in 2012 as a freshman. He played in 11 games that year. He caught three passes for 22 yards.
In 2013, Michael took a "redshirt" year. This means he practiced with the team but did not play in any games. This allowed him to train and get stronger for future seasons.
When he returned in 2014, Michael became a starting wide receiver. He led his team with 54 catches for 799 yards and nine touchdowns. In a big game against Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, he had seven catches for 66 yards and a touchdown. Ohio State won that game!
In the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship game, Ohio State won the national championship. Michael had four catches for 53 yards in that important victory. In the 2015 season, he caught 56 passes for 781 yards and nine touchdowns. After this successful season, Michael decided to enter the 2016 NFL draft in January 2016.
College Statistics
| Season | Team | GP | Receiving | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | |||
| 2012 | Ohio State | 11 | 3 | 22 | 7.3 | 11 | 0 |
| 2013 | Ohio State | 0 |  Redshirt |
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| 2014 | Ohio State | 15 | 54 | 799 | 14.8 | 79 | 9 |
| 2015 | Ohio State | 13 | 56 | 781 | 13.9 | 50 | 9 |
| Total | 39 | 113 | 1,602 | 14.2 | 79 | 18 | |
College Awards and Honors
Michael Thomas earned several awards during his college career:
- CFP national champion (2014)
- Fiesta Bowl champion (2015)
- Sugar Bowl champion (2014)
- Big Ten champion (2014)
- Third-team All-Big Ten (2015)
Professional Football Career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2+3⁄4 in (1.90 m) |
212 lb (96 kg) |
32+1⁄8 in (0.82 m) |
10+1⁄2 in (0.27 m) |
4.57 s | 1.53 s | 2.63 s | 4.13 s | 6.80 s | 35 in (0.89 m) |
10 ft 6 in (3.20 m) |
18 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine | ||||||||||||
Michael Thomas was chosen by the New Orleans Saints in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He was the 47th player picked overall. He was the sixth wide receiver chosen that year.
In May 2016, Michael signed a four-year contract with the Saints.
2016 Season: Rookie Success
Michael started his first NFL game against the Oakland Raiders. He caught six passes for 58 yards. A few weeks later, he scored his first NFL touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons. He had a great game against the Kansas City Chiefs, catching 10 passes for 130 yards.
During his first year, Michael set new records for a rookie player with the Saints. He had 92 catches, 1,137 receiving yards, and nine touchdowns. He was also named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team, which honors the best new players in the league.
2017 Season: First Pro Bowl
In his second season, Michael became the Saints' top receiver. He was chosen for his first Pro Bowl, an honor for the best players in the NFL. He finished the season with 104 catches for 1,245 yards and five touchdowns. His 104 catches were the third most in the NFL that year.
Michael played in his first playoff game in January 2018. He caught eight passes for 131 yards in a win against the Carolina Panthers. He was ranked 81st among the top 100 players in the NFL by his fellow players.
2018 Season: Leading the League
Michael started the 2018 season strong. In the first game, he caught a team-record 16 passes for 180 yards. The next week, he set an NFL record for the most catches in the first two games with 28. He continued to break records, with 38 catches in the first three games.
In Week 9, he had an amazing game against the Los Angeles Rams. He caught 12 passes for a team-record 211 yards, including a 72-yard touchdown. For this great performance, he was named the National Football Conference (NFC) Offensive Player of the Week.
Michael finished the 2018 season with 125 catches for 1,405 yards and nine touchdowns. He led the entire league in receptions. He also set a new Saints team record for receiving yards in a season. He was named to his second Pro Bowl and was a First-team All-Pro player. He was ranked 13th among the NFL's top 100 players.
2019 Season: Record-Breaking Year
On July 31, 2019, Michael Thomas signed a big five-year contract extension with the Saints. This made him the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL at that time.
He had another fantastic season in 2019. He caught 10 passes for 123 yards in the first game against the Houston Texans. He continued to have many games with over 100 receiving yards and multiple touchdowns. In Week 14, he set a new Saints record for receiving yards in a single season.
The following week, he broke the NFL record for most catches in a single season. He made his 144th catch, passing the old record of 143. He finished the season with an incredible 149 catches for 1,725 yards and nine touchdowns.
For his amazing performance in 2019, Michael was named the AP Offensive Player of the Year. He was the first wide receiver to win this award since 1993. He was also named to the Pro Bowl and earned First Team All-Pro honors again. He was ranked 5th among the NFL's top 100 players.
2020 Season: Injuries and Return
The 2020 season was tough for Michael due to injuries. He suffered an ankle injury in the first game. He returned later in the season and had a 100-yard receiving game against the Atlanta Falcons. He was placed on injured reserve in December due to his ankle injury but returned for the playoffs.
In the playoffs, he caught five passes for 73 yards and scored his first touchdown of the season in a win against the Chicago Bears. He was ranked 72nd among the NFL's top 100 players.
2021 and 2022 Seasons: More Injuries
Michael continued to deal with ankle injuries in 2021 and 2022. He did not play at all in the 2021 season. In 2022, he returned and scored two touchdowns in the first game against the Atlanta Falcons. He played in a few more games but then suffered a foot injury that ended his season early.
2023 Season and Departure from Saints
In 2023, Michael played in 10 games for the Saints. He had 39 catches for 448 yards and one touchdown. In November, he suffered a knee injury that ended his season.
On March 13, 2024, Michael Thomas was released by the New Orleans Saints. He became a free agent.
NFL Career Statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year | |
| NFL record | |
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
Regular Season Statistics
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Rushing | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2016 | NO | 15 | 12 | 92 | 1,137 | 12.4 | 46 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 |
| 2017 | NO | 16 | 14 | 104 | 1,245 | 12.0 | 43 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | NO | 16 | 16 | 125 | 1,405 | 11.2 | 72T | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 |
| 2019 | NO | 16 | 15 | 149 | 1,725 | 11.6 | 49 | 9 | 1 | -9 | -9.0 | -9 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2020 | NO | 7 | 5 | 40 | 438 | 11.0 | 24 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | NO | 0 | 0 | Did not play due to injury | |||||||||||
| 2022 | NO | 3 | 3 | 16 | 171 | 10.7 | 21 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | NO | 10 | 7 | 39 | 448 | 11.5 | 31 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 83 | 72 | 565 | 6,569 | 11.6 | 72T | 36 | 2 | -8 | -4.0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | |
Postseason Statistics
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Rushing | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2017 | NO | 2 | 2 | 15 | 216 | 14.4 | 46 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | NO | 2 | 2 | 16 | 207 | 12.9 | 42 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | NO | 1 | 1 | 7 | 70 | 10.0 | 20 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | NO | 2 | 1 | 5 | 73 | 14.6 | 38 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 7 | 6 | 43 | 566 | 13.2 | 46 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
NFL Records Held by Michael Thomas
- Most receptions by a player through his first five seasons: 510
- Most receptions by a player in a single season: 149
- Most receptions by a player in a single season including playoffs: 156
- Most consecutive games with 4+ receptions: 43
- Most seasons with 120+ pass receptions: 2 (2018–2019) (tied with 2 others)
- Most seasons with 125+ pass receptions: 2 (2018–2019) (tied with 1 other)
- Fewest games to reach 300 career receptions: 45 (2016–2018) (tied with one other)
- Fewest games to reach 400 career receptions: 56 (2016–2019)
- Fewest games to reach 500 career receptions: 69 (2016–2020)
Saints Team Records
- Most receptions in a game: 16 (September 9, 2018, vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
- Most receiving yards in a game: 211 (November 4, 2018, vs Los Angeles Rams)
- Most receptions in a season by a rookie: 92 (2016)
- Most receiving yards in a season by a rookie: 1,137 (2016)
- Most receiving touchdowns in a season by a rookie: 9 (2016)
- Most receptions in a season: 149 (2019)
- Most receiving yards in a season: 1,725 (2019)
Personal Life
Michael Thomas is the nephew of former NFL wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson. He is a Christian.
