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Is Saints’ receiver Michael Thomas a legit MVP candidate?

By Marcus Mosher

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 13: Michael Thomas #13 and Drew Brees #9 of the New Orleans Saints celebrate their third quarter touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Divisional Playoff Game at Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 13, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 13: Michael Thomas #13 and Drew Brees #9 of the New Orleans Saints celebrate their third quarter touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Divisional Playoff Game at Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 13, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /
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The New Orleans Saints are having another great year, and wide receiver Michael Thomas has been so dominant, he deserves MVP consideration.

Let’s not kid ourselves; the MVP award is really a quarterback award. Yes, the occasional running back will take home every now and then, but they basically have to rush for over 2,000 yards to do so.  Since 2007, only non-quarterback has won the award, and that was Adrian Peterson in 2012.

As rare as it is for a running back to win the award in the modern NFL, it’s even more unlikely to play another position outside of quarterback or running back. In the league’s history, there have only been three years in which a quarterback or running back wasn’t named the NFL MVP; Defensive tackle Alan Page in 1971, placekicker Mark Moseley in 1982 and linebacker Lawrence Taylor in 1986.

So it’s challenging to make the case that a non-quarterback or running back should even be considered in today’s NFL. However, there is one player that should be nominated, at the very least, for the award this season; Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas.

Through 10 games, Thomas has caught 94 passes for 1,141 yards and five touchdowns. He’s on pace to smash the single-season reception record and come close to breaking the all-time receiving yardage record, as well. Considering that no player in NFL history has ever caught 90 or more passes in the team’s first 10 games, it wouldn’t be a shock if he does catch 150 or more passes this year.

It’s essential to put these numbers in perspective relative to other teams at this point in the season. For instance, while Thomas sits at just over 1,100 receiving yards, the entire Philadelphia Eagles’ wide receiver corps has 1,008 receiving yards on the season. Yes, that includes Pro Bowler’s Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson, as well. Despite being the only established receiver on the roster, he is still able to put up big numbers and be efficient with his targets.

While it’s true that it is easier than ever to put up big receiving numbers in the NFL, what Thomas is doing this season is incredible. Thomas leads the league in nearly every statistical cateory when it comes to receivers, such as receptions, receiving yards,  first downs made, etc.

What makes his season even more impressive is that he has put up these statistics with two different quarterbacks. Everyone knows how great Drew Brees is and how he can increase the production and value of just about any receiver. But Teddy Bridgewater, on the other hand, isn’t at the level. Nevertheless, Thomas was able to produce.

In the five games that Bridgewater started, Thomas was able to still average over 110 receiving yards per game on ten targets. If you were to extrapolate Thomas’ five-game numbers with Bridgewater throughout a 16-game schedule, he would have caught 134 passes for 1,763 yards and 10 touchdowns.

While the sample size is somewhat small, what is the most impressive is how Thomas was not only able to produce with a drop in quarterback play, but he was able to help keep his team afloat. In fact, that’s not a strong enough word. Despite Brees’ absence, the Saints dominated in those five games, winning them all despite playing playoff-caliber teams such as the Cowboys and Seahawks.

Despite his fantastic season, Thomas won’t win the award because that’s just the way the NFL operates. However, Thomas has firmly cemented his status as the league’s best receiver, and his play has allowed the Saints to compete for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. And without a doubt, that means more to Thomas than the MVP award. But that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t at least be a part of the conversation as the league’s best and most valuable player.

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