NFL CAREER – Entering his seventh season, Thomas is regarded as one of the NFL's premier wide receivers. In 2019, the former Ohio State standout was selected to the Pro Bowl for the third consecutive season and selected an Associated Press first-team All-Pro for the second consecutive campaign and as an AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year. He won his second consecutive NFL receiving title, totaling a league-record 149 receptions for a team-record 1,725 yards, the seventh-highest total in league history. His nine touchdown grabs tied for the team lead. Thomas has always shown an exceptional ability to make the tough catch. In 2021, Thomas spent the entire season on the Physically Unable to Perform list while rehabbing from an ankle injury he suffered early in 2020. Thomas will look to regain his dominant form heading into 2022. In his first five campaigns, he has recorded 510 receptions for 5,950 yards and 32 touchdowns, the most receptions by a player in NFL history in his first five seasons, reaching the milestone in an NFL record 69 games.
2021 – Spent the entire 2021 season on the physically unable to perform list with an ankle injury. 2020 - Appeared in seven games with five starts posting 40 receptions for 438 yards…After missing six games, returned at Tampa Bay, Nov. 8, started and led Saints in receptions and receiving yards, finishing with 51 yards on five catches…Vs. San Francisco, Nov. 15, started and caught two passes for 27 yards…Vs. Atlanta, Nov, 22, started and enjoyed his most successful performance of season with nine receptions for 104 yards, with his second catch being his 482nd, giving him the most catches by an NFL player in his first five seasons, surpassing Jarvis Landry's 481 grabs…At Atlanta, Dec. 6, led team in receiving and caught nine passes for 105 yards. Eclipsed 500 receptions mark for his career, reaching the milestone in an NFL record 69 games. Surpassed Anquan Boldin and Julio Jones who each reached 500 receptions in 80 games. Recorded his 21st 100- yard receiving game, third in team history…At Philadelphia, Dec. 13, led team in receiving with eight catches for 84 yards. Placed on Injured Reserve, Dec. 19. Activated, 1/9/21…In NFC wild card playoff, vs. Chicago, 1/10/21, started and recorded five receptions for 73 yards and one touchdown. The touchdown was Thomas' fourth postseason scoring grab, moving him into a tie for first in club records with Marques Colston, Devery Henderson and Willie Jackson for postseason touchdown receptions. Thomas, who entered the game with 38 postseason grabs, became the second Saint to record 40 postseason receptions, joining Colston (58). Also, joins Colston (788) as only Saints in club history with 500 postseason receiving yards, now with 566…Played in the NFC divisional playoff vs. Tampa Bay, 1/17/21. 2019 - Appeared in all 16 regular season games with 15 starts, totaling an NFL-record 149 receptions for a league-high and club-record 1,725 yards and nine TDs, tied for team lead…Surpassed Odell Beckham Jr. (61 games) as the fastest player to record 400 receptions…Surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Moss (5,396 yards from 1998-2001) for the most receiving yards through a player's first four seasons…Vs. Houston, Sept. 9, started and finished with 123 yards on ten receptions…At L.A. Rams, Sept. 15, started and led team in receiving with 89 yards on ten receptions…At Seattle, Sept. 22, started and finished with 54 yards on five receptions and a touchdown. Joined Beckham and Anquan Boldin as only third player in NFL history with at least 300 catches and 4,000 receiving yards in his first 50 games…Vs. Dallas, Sept. 29, finished with nine receptions for 95 yards, becoming the fifth player in Saints history with 350 receptions and also tied Beckham for reaching 350 catches quickest in NFL history (52 games)…Vs. Tampa Bay, Oct. 6, started and finished with 11 receptions for 182 yards (16.6 avg.) and two TDs. It was Thomas' fifth career multi-TD game. 182 receiving yards was Thomas' largest output since his 211 in a 2018 Week Nine victory over L.A. Rams, the last game before this first half in which Thomas finished a half with 100 yards…At Chicago, Oct. 20, started and led the team in receiving with nine receptions for 131 yards (14.6 avg.)…Vs. Arizona, Oct. 27, started his 50th career game and finished with 11 receptions for 112 yards and one TD…Vs. Atlanta, Nov. 10, started and recorded 152 yards on 13 receptions. He surpassed Beckham (61 games) as the fastest player in NFL history to record 400 receptions with a seven-yard grab with :48 remaining in the second quarter. Recorded his 401st career reception with 13:10 left in the third quarter, surpassing Landry (400 receptions) for the most grabs in a player's first four seasons. Increased his season total to 1,027 receiving yards and surpassed 1,000 yards in each of his first four seasons. Recorded third consecutive game with at least 100 receiving yards, and had 14th career 100-yard receiving game, surpassing TE Jimmy Graham (2010-14) for fourth in club records…At Tampa Bay, Nov. 17, Started and led team in receiving with eight grabs for 144 yards (18.0 avg.) and a TD, his sixth 100-yard game of 2019 and 15th of his career. Four straight games with over 100 yards receiving tying a club record set by Graham in 2011 and 2013. With 4,928 career receiving yards, surpassed Danny Abramowicz for fourth place in club history…Vs. Carolina, Nov. 24, had ten receptions for 101 yards and one TD, becoming only fifth player in NFL history to have at least 100 receptions and 1,200 receiving yards in three consecutive seasons, joining Antonio Brown, Marvin Harrison, Herman Moore, and Jerry Rice. Joined Colston, Eric Martin, and Joe Horn as only the fourth player with 5,000 receiving yards as a member of the Saints. Became the first Saint to have at least 100 receiving yards in five consecutive games, surpassing Graham. Thomas' seven 100-yard receiving games in 2019 set a new team record for 100-yard games in a season. Recording at least eight receptions and 100 receiving yards in five consecutive games, became only the fourth player in NFL history to do so in a single season (Isaac Bruce, 6 in 1995; Anquan Boldin, 5 in 2005; Calvin Johnson, 5 in 2012). Recorded six receptions for 49 yards in the first quarter, the most first quarter grabs by a Saint since Martin (1991)…Vs. San Francisco, Dec. 8, started and finished game with 134 yards on 11 receptions (12.2 avg.). Broke his own franchise record for receiving yards in a season with 1,424 yards…Vs. Indianapolis, Dec. 16, started and finished with 12 receptions for 128 yards and a touchdown…At Tennessee, Dec. 22, started and finished with 12 catches for 136 yards and a touchdown. Thomas moved past Harrison for the most receptions in a single season in NFL history with 145. Caught the record-breaking reception late in the fourth quarter on a 13-yard catch and run that brought the ball to Titans one-yard line. One play later, Thomas caught a two-yard touchdown pass from Brees to extend the Saints lead to ten points with 2:16 left in the game. With Thomas' 136 receiving yards, he surpassed Moss (5,396 yards from 1998-2001) for the most receiving yards through a player's first four seasons. With his 15th game of 10+ catches and 100+ yards, matched Pro Football Hall of Fame wideout Jerry Rice's career total (tied for seventh all-time in NFL history)…In regular season finale at Carolina, Dec. 29, started and recorded four receptions for 37 yards…In the wild card round vs. Minnesota, 1/5/20, started and finished with seven receptions for 70 yards. Thomas' career postseason totals move to 38 receptions and 493 yards, surpassing Henderson for second in postseason club record books in both categories (Henderson stands at 31 postseason receptions for 464 yards). 2018 - Started all 16 regular season games and recorded 125 receptions for 1,405 yards and nine TDs. Thomas' National Football League-best receiving total was fifth-highest at the time in league history…Ranked sixth in NFL in receiving yardage and tied for second in third down receptions (30)…Opened both playoff contests and posted 16 receptions for 207 yards and one TD…Hauled in 16 receptions for career-high 180 yards and a TD in season opener vs. Tampa Bay, Sept. 9, setting a new franchise record for catches in a single game. Also set the Week One single-game NFL record for catches…Recorded a team-high 12 receptions for 89 yards and two TDs, vs. Cleveland, Sept. 16. Thomas also set an NFL record with 28 receptions in the first two games of a season, surpassing former Atlanta Falcons wideout Andre Rison (26-1994)…At Atlanta, Sept. 23, finished with ten catches for 129 yards…Hauled in four receptions for 74 yards in 43-19 win over Washington, Oct. 8…Caught seven passes for 69 yards and a TD in 24-23 win at Baltimore, Oct. 21…Caught five passes for 81 yards in the 30-20 victory at Minnesota, Oct. 28…Recorded 12 receptions for franchise-record 211 yards, including a fourth quarter career-long 72-yard TD grab in the 45-35 victory over L.A. Rams, Nov. 4…Recorded eight receptions for 70 yards and two TDs in 51-14 win at Cincinnati, Nov. 11…Had four receptions for 92 yards and a TD as he became the only Saint with three 1,000-yard seasons to start his career in 48-7 victory vs. Philadelphia, Nov. 18…Finished with five catches for 40 yards and recovery of a fumble, Nov. 29. Joined Beckham (2014-16) and Moss (1998-2000) as the only players in league history to record at least 1,100 receiving yards in each of their first three seasons. Joined Beckham as only the second player to record at least 90 catches in each of their first three seasons…Recorded 11 catches for 98 yards as Saints clinched NFC South for second straight season at Tampa Bay in 28-14 win, Dec. 9. Tied an NFL record for most receptions against a single team in one seasons at 27, joining Rice…Recorded seven receptions for 49 yards in 12-9 victory at Carolina, Dec. 17…Caught 11 passes for 109 yards and the fourth quarter go-ahead TD vs. Pittsburgh, Dec. 23, as he became the first Saint with six double-digit catch games…Led team with 12 receptions for postseason franchise-record 171 yards and one TD in NFC Divisional Playoff victory vs. Philadelphia, 1/13/19. 2017 - Played in all 16 regular season games with 14 starts and led team with a club-record 104 receptions for 1,245 yards, finishing ranked third in the NFL in receiving. Selected to his first Pro Bowl. Started both postseason contests and led team in receiving with 15 grabs for 216 yards (14.4 avg.) and two TDs…Gained team-high 89 yards on team-best five catches, Sept. 17 vs. Patriots…Caught team-high seven receptions for club-best 87 yards and first quarter five-yard TD at Carolina, Sept. 24…Caught eight-for-89 and a third quarter three-yard TD against Miami in contest at London's Wembley Stadium, Oct. 1…Seven-for-77 receiving vs. Chicago…Nine-for-117 receiving at Buffalo, Nov. 12, leading the team in all receiving categories…Six receptions for 91 yards in come-from-behind victory, Nov. 19, vs. Washington…Totaled 52 yards on five catches at Los Angeles Rams, Nov. 26…Five receptions for 70 yards and a second quarter ten-yard TD vs. Carolina, Dec. 3…Ten receptions for 117 yards and one TD at Atlanta, Dec. 7…Nine receptions for 93 yards, Dec. 17 at N.Y. Jets, including a fourth quarter, four-yard TD…Had four receptions for 66 yards (16.5 avg.) vs. Atlanta, Dec. 24…Six-for-94 receiving in regular season finale at Tampa Bay, Dec. 31…Led team in receptions (eight) and receiving yards (131) in NFC Wild Card Playoff vs. Carolina, 1/7/18, becoming the first player in NFL history to record 200 receptions in his first two seasons (regular season and postseason)…Finished with seven receptions for 85 yards and two TDs in NFC Divisional Playoff at Minnesota, 1/14/18. 2016 - Played in 15 games with 12 starts, recording 92 receptions for 1,137 yards (12.4 avg.) with nine touchdowns, leading team in receptions and TDs, setting the Saints single-season rookie record for receptions, receiving yardage and receiving TDs, leading rookies in all three categories. Ranked ninth in NFL in receptions and receiving yardage and sixth in receiving TDs…Vs. Oakland, Sept. 11, in NFL debut caught six passes for 58 yards and recovered a fumble that he returned ten yards…Had his first career start and caught four passes for 56 yards at N.Y. Giants, Sept. 18...Vs. Atlanta, Sept. 26, started and recorded seven receptions for 71 yards, including a second quarter three-yard TD…Started and recorded four receptions for 44 yards, including a fourth quarter five-yard TD at Chargers, Oct. 2…Vs. Carolina, Oct. 16, started and recorded five receptions for a 78 yards, including a nine-yard TD…Started, caught ten passes for 130 yards and a fumble recovery at Kansas City, Oct. 23. Became third Saints rookie wideout to post a ten-catch, 130-yard receiving game, joining Colston (Nov. 12, 2006 at Pit.) and Abramowicz (Oct. 29, 1967 vs. Pit.) …Vs. Seattle, Oct. 30, caught six passes for team-high 63 yards…At San Francisco, Nov. 6, started and caught five passes for team-high 73 yards and career-high two TDs…Caught nine passes for 108 yards and two TDs, both team-highs, vs. Los Angeles Rams, Nov. 27…Inactive (foot) at Tampa Bay, Dec. 11…At Arizona, Dec. 18, started and recorded seven receptions for 52 yards, including a fourth quarter four-yard touchdown grab…Started and recorded six receptions for 98 yards, including a 46-yard grab vs. Tampa Bay, Dec. 24…In finale at Atlanta, 1/1/17, started and recorded ten receptions for 156 yards (15.6 avg.) with a TD…Receptions total of 92 second all-time for a rookie behind Boldin's 101 in 2003.
PERSONAL: Thomas produced a highlight reel of a 2010 senior campaign at Taft Charter (Woodland Hills, Calif.) HS when he caught 86 passes, 21 of which went for touchdowns…Played at Oaks Christian School (Westlake Village, Calif.) as a freshman...Attended Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy in 2011 (and roomed with future OSU teammate Cardale Jones)…Nephew to former NFL star and current ESPN Radio talk show host Keyshawn Johnson…Participated in a 2017 holiday shopping spree sponsored by running back Mark Ingram II and former Black and Gold punter Thomas Morstead...Participated in the Touchdown Club of New Orleans' crawfish boil in 2016…Partnered with the Salvation Army to host a holiday dinner for youth in 2017…Rode in the Orpheus Mardi Gras parade in 2019…In 2019, participated in "#DoRight4LA Day with the New Orleans Saints and Dudley DeBosier" volunteering with teammates to complete renovations to the exterior of a house…Served as a coach at Steve Gleason's spring football camp in 2018 and 2019…Has volunteered at Second Harvest food bank providing meals to needed families…In 2019, visited Ochsner for Children, partnering with Harrah's to visit and give Christmas presents to the children and also provided free haircuts to men in New Orleans on Christmas Eve...In 2020, partnered with Raising Cane's and founder Todd Graves to provide meals to Ochsner Health frontline workers…In 2020, donated to help relieve more than $2 million in outstanding medical debts for people struggling to make payments in the Greater New Orleans Area…In 2021, presented an event in New Orleans East, partnering with Goodr, where 500 families experiencing food insecurity participated in a free grocery shopping experience.
