The Brees & Payton Era- Modern Era Icon
- Franchise Legend
Michael Thomas
- Position
- WRWide Receiver
- Number
- #13
- Saints years
- 2016–2023
- Era
- The Brees & Payton Era
- Franchise
- New Orleans Saints
Honors
- AP Offensive Player of the Year
- 2x First-team All-Pro
- NFL single-season receptions record
- 3x Pro Bowl
- Saints single-season receiving yards record
Why he’s a legend
The legacy
For four seasons Michael Thomas was the most reliable receiver in football. He caught 149 passes in 2019 — the most in a season in NFL history — and was named Offensive Player of the Year, the only wide receiver to win it in more than a decade. Injuries then took most of four more seasons from him, which is why his career line stops where it does, and why the peak is worth stating separately from the total.
Why he matters
- His 149 receptions in 2019 are the NFL single-season record.
- He was the 2019 Associated Press Offensive Player of the Year, an award a wide receiver had not won since 2012.
- Back-to-back first-team All-Pro selections in 2018 and 2019.
- His 1,725 receiving yards in 2019 are the Saints single-season record.
- He reached 400 career receptions faster than any player in NFL history, in 63 games.
Defining moment
One hundred and forty-nine
2019 season
Thomas caught 149 passes in 2019, breaking Marvin Harrison’s record of 143 that had stood since 2002, and did it in a season split between Drew Brees and two backup quarterbacks. He was the offense while Brees missed five games with a thumb injury, and the Saints won all five.
Career statistics
Current through the 2023 season
With the Saints
- Receptions
- 565
- Receiving Yards
- 6,569
- Receiving Touchdowns
- 36
- Seasons
- 8
Where he ranks
- #1Saints Single-Season Receptions149 (2019)Saints all-time
- #1Saints Single-Season Receiving Yards1,725 (2019)Saints all-time
- #1NFL Single-Season Receptions149 (2019)NFL all-time
Career production
Receiving yards by season
How long did he stay a primary target?
Michael Thomas: receiving yards in each of 7 seasons, from 171 to 1,725. The table below carries every value.
View the 7 rows behind this chart
| Season | Team | Rec | Rec Yds | Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | New Orleans | 92 | 1,137 | 9 |
| 2017 | New Orleans | 104 | 1,245 | 5 |
| 2018 | New Orleans | 125 | 1,405 | 9 |
| 2019 | New Orleans | 149 | 1,725 | 9 |
| 2020 | New Orleans | 40 | 438 | 0 |
| 2022 | New Orleans | 16 | 171 | 3 |
| 2023 | New Orleans | 39 | 448 | 1 |
Season by season
| 2016 | 15 | 92 | 1,137 | 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 16 | 104 | 1,245 | 5 |
| 2018 | 16 | 125 | 1,405 | 9 |
| 2019 | 16 | 149 | 1,725 | 9 |
| 2020 | 7 | 40 | 438 | 0 |
| 2022 | 3 | 16 | 171 | 3 |
| 2023 | 10 | 39 | 448 | 1 |
| Career | 83 | 565 | 6,569 | 36 |
Best seasons
Best season
2019 — Michael Thomas
149 receptions, 1,725 yards, 9 touchdowns
- NFL single-season receptions record
- AP Offensive Player of the Year
- Caught passes from three different quarterbacks
The best season a wide receiver has had in New Orleans and one of the best any receiver has had anywhere. He set the record while his quarterback missed five games.
Honors & accolades
League awards & All-Pro
- AP Offensive Player of the Year2019
- 2x First-team All-Pro2018, 2019
Selections & records
- 3x Pro Bowl2017–2019
- NFL single-season receptions record149 in 2019
- Saints single-season receiving yards record1,725 in 2019
Career timeline
8 seasons in the NFL, 8 of them in New Orleans.
- 2016New Orleans Saints15 gamesDrafted 47th overall out of Ohio State; 92 catches as a rookie
- 2017New Orleans Saints16 gamesPro Bowl
- 2018New Orleans Saints16 gamesPro BowlFirst-team All-ProFirst-team All-Pro; 125 receptions
- 2019New Orleans Saints16 gamesPro BowlFirst-team All-ProOffensive Player of the YearNFL record 149 receptions; Offensive Player of the Year
- 2020New Orleans Saints7 games
- 2021New Orleans SaintsMisses the entire season following ankle surgery
- 2022New Orleans Saints3 games
- 2023New Orleans Saints10 gamesFinal season with the Saints
Era context
What the league looked like while Michael Thomas played it. Raw totals across eras are not like-for-like.
The Brees & Payton Era
2006–2020
A quarterback nobody else wanted, a coach nobody had hired, and a Super Bowl.
- The most pass-friendly rules environment in NFL history to that point; raw passing totals from these years dwarf every earlier era.
- Sixteen-game seasons throughout, with a 12-team playoff field from 2020.
- The franchise won seven division titles in this span, including four consecutive from 2017 to 2020.
The Modern Saints
2021–present
Life after the quarterback who rewrote the record book.
- Seasons expanded to 17 games in 2021, so single-season totals from 2021 onward are not directly comparable to earlier ones.
- The playoff field has been 14 teams since 2020.
- Careers in progress: statistics for active players are stated through a named season and will move.
Data & sources
Statistics on this profile are current through the 2023 season.
- He did not play in 2021 (ankle surgery) and played three games in 2022; those seasons are shown or omitted accordingly rather than filled with zeroes.
- Career totals are through the 2023 season, his last with the Saints.
