Is Michael Thomas OK? Saints WR missed 9 games in 2020 and will sit out NFL 2021 season
New Orleans Saints' WR's Wide receiver Michael Thomas is expected to miss the start of the regular season after undergoing surgery in June 2021 to repair the ligaments in his ankle, NFL Media's Ian Rapoport.
On Friday, July 23, it was reported that Thomas will miss the beginning of the 2021 NFL season after undergoing surgery to repair the ligaments in his ankle in June. Thomas suffered the ankle injury in Week 1 last season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and missed the team's next six games before returning. There no official data yet on Thomas’ return to the field, but it was reported that his recovery could take around four months and that Thomas could be sidelined until October, 2021. And with soon to be Hall of Famer quarterback Drew Brees retired, the Saints will start 2021 looking quite a bit differently than 2020.
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Back in 2019, Thomas broke the record for most receptions in a season with 149. But 2020 proved to be a letdown with injuries, pushing him to play in just seven games and catch 40 passes. Saints coach Sean Payton was optimistic in June about Thomas' ankle. He’s here and participating. He looks good,” Payton said in a news conference. “We still monitor it, pay attention to it, scan it, and all those things. So, so far, so good.”
In January 2021 Thomas was expected to have two surgeries on his ankle, both upper and lower. The Pro Bowl wideout missed nine games in 2020 due to the ankle injury and team discipline. Thomas was placed on injured reserve for the final three weeks of the regular season before returning for two playoff tilts. After suffering the injury in the first week, Thomas' entire campaign was off tilt due to the issue. Playing through injuries, he compiled 438 yards on 40 catches with zero touchdowns in seven games played all by far career lows.