Latest Michael Thomas update is proof Saints should move toward rebuild

Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas may have already played his last game for New Orleans because of complications with his toe injury.

It’s time for the New Orleans Saints to embrace a rebuild.

It was already pretty clear the 3-5 team doesn’t have much hope for this season with their quarterback situation and a slew of injuries.. Meanwhile, the long-term potential for the team is hindered by their major salary cap issues and lack of draft assets.

On Thursday, head coach Dennis Allen added more bad news with the announcement that star wide receiver Michael Thomas is going on injured reserve. He is likely to miss the rest of the season because of toe surgery.

Latest Michael Thomas update is proof Saints should move toward rebuild

Thomas is going to have a $28-million cap hit next year. He has played just 10 games since 2019. At that cost and with that kind of an injury record, New Orleans is probably going to cut the receiver.

If that’s the case, Thomas’ Saints career will have truly ended with a whimper. He had 470 catches for 5,512 yards and 32 touchdowns in his tremendous first four seasons. In his last three, he’s had 56 catches for 609 yards and three touchdowns. Injuries were the culprit.

Having Thomas for the second half of the season may have given the Saints a spark to get back into the playoff picture. However, it looks increasingly like New Orleans isn’t built to win right now.

For next year, there’s no point in shelling out to keep Thomas, even if it was financially feasible. Instead, the team needs to work on their salary cap and find their quarterback in time to make the most out of Rookie of the Year candidate Chris Olave when the time comes.

Over the summer GM Mickey Loomis insisted they weren’t in a rebuild. If they weren’t then, they certainly should be now.