Saints quarterback Drew Brees is justifiably getting plenty of recognition as an MVP candidate this season. But Brees shouldn’t overshadow a teammate who’s having a historically great season.
That teammate is Michael Thomas, who is having a season like no other wide receiver has ever had.
So far this season, Thomas has been targeted on 91 passes and caught 82 of them, for 1,042 yards. That 82-of-91 stat equates to a completion rate of just over 90 percent on passes thrown to Thomas, which is absolutely unprecedented for a 1,000-yard wide receiver, as far back as target stats exist.
FootballOutsiders.com has target stats dating back to 1986, and the highest catch rate for any 1,000-yard wide receiver in the NFL since 1986 came when John Taylor of the 49ers caught 80 percent of his passes in 1989, when he caught 60 passes for 1,077 yards.
So Thomas is on track to catch 90 percent of his targets in a 1,000-yard season, when the previous high water mark was 80 percent. If Thomas continues playing at his current pace for the rest of the season, he’ll finish the year with 131 catches on 146 targets, for 1,723 yards. That’s an unprecedented season in NFL history.
