3 teams who should make a trade offer for Michael Thomas

1. Indianapolis Colts

The Colts have had injuries (Michael Pittman Jr., Parris Campbell) and notable underachievement (T.Y. Hilton) at wide receiver so far this season. So it’s worth wondering if they’re in the market to trade for someone, with enough cap space ($10.38 million right now this year) to take on a bit of money and plenty of cap space going forward to keep someone who’s on a longer deal.

Thomas is under contract through 2024, with due dates for the rest of his 2021 base salary next March and roster bonus dates the subsequent three years. The cap numbers for 2021-24 are $18.8 million, $21.8 million, $22.45 million and $21.7 million, with base salaries that don’t go north of $15.5 million until the final year. The fully guaranteed salary also goes away after 2021.

The Colts (4-2) are in a win-now window this year with Philip Rivers under center, with enviable future flexibility at the most important position in the sport. Adding a piece to an area of need on offense this year, and more specifically having a by-then 28-year-old Thomas in 2021 with plenty of good years presumably left, might be on the radar.

Colts general manager Chris Ballard is never pressured into making big moves just for the sake of it (see his comments about Le’Veon Bell and overall fit when the team was an easily-rumored suitor in 2019 free agency). But if there’s even a faint opportunity to trade for Thomas, maximize 2020 and add a legit No. 1 wide receiver with prime years left, that is hard to turn away from.