30 NFL stars who could retire after the 2024 season

29. Michael Thomas, Free agent

Michael Thomas was once a fantastic wide receiver who could not be stopped across the field. He’s a three-time Pro Bowler, a two-time All-Pro, a two-time receptions leader, and the 2019 Offensive Player of the Year. Nobody in history has ever caught more than Thomas’ 149 receptions in 2019. This was an unstoppable player who had catches in volume.

That volume came at a price. All those tackles started to stack up, and Thomas got hit by the injury bug again and again. For the past four years, Thomas is always going on the IR. It’s always different injuries, too. Thomas just hasn’t been a star since that record-breaking season. This offseason, the Saints finally moved on.

Reports say that multiple teams are in on Thomas. He will likely land somewhere before training camps officially open. We’ve seen this happen before. A player who was a star finally leaves the only team he knows, and it only lasts a year before they retire.

Injuries likely had Thomas thinking about his football mortality for a while now. He wasn’t healthy this past season, but he didn’t have any devastating injuries. They were more injuries of the nagging persuasion. A team will talk themselves into Thomas having something left. However, it just feels like we’re close to the end.