Once upon a time, star receiver Michael Thomas was probably the best pass-catcher in the game, a Pro Bowler for three straight years with a career trajectory that appeared destined to land him in Canton. That was before a series of unfortunate events—injuries, a very public battle with his coach and social media digs at former Raiders quarterback Derek Carr—set him off course, and led to him still being unemployed here as the NFL season is just days away from kicking off.
But when have the Raiders ever been scared off by a player shrouded in a bit of controversy, right? Going back to owner Al Davis, this franchise has always been willing to overlook personal foibles if a player has some talent. And despite unraveling in recent years, Thomas has talent.
That’s the notion at Bleacher Report, where it is being suggested that Thomas could rebuild what remains of his career with the Raiders. He is 31 years old, so his days of leading the league in receptions (he did that twice and set and NFL record for catches with 149 in 2019) and yardage (he did that once) are behind him.
But he could be a risk worth taking for the Raiders.
Raiders Lacking Depth at WR
Now, of all the needs the Raiders have heading into 2024, receiver is on the low end. Star Davante Adams is still the leading man, and Jakobi Meyers has proven to be a better-than-adequate No. 2. There’s some excitement about Tre Tucker, too, after he finished his rookie season strong, with 11 catches, 170 yards and two touchdowns in his final four games.
But the Raiders receiving room lacks depth beyond those three, and one injury could create a good deal of peril. Thus Thomas, who signed a five-year, $96 million contract in 2019, makes some sense.
As the B/R folks wrote:
“Is there some risk to bringing on another target dominator like Michael Thomas onto a roster that already has Davante Adams? Sure. But if the fact that Thomas remains unsigned as we get ready for the first week of the season hasn’t humbled the former Saints star then it’s going to be hard for him to have a second act for his career.
“The Raiders are going to try to field a competitive offense with Gardner Minshew and that’s going to require the best supporting cast possible. If there’s any hope that Thomas can get healthy and be anything close to what he once was he could help a thin Raiders receiver group.”
Offense Hinges on Gardner Minshew
The big problem for the Raiders, far more than depth at receiver, is whether Minshew can handle the job at quarterback. He signed as a free agent this offseason, then beat out Aidan O’Connell to win the starting role, but he has played only two full seasons as a starter—first for 12 games as a rookie in Jacksonville, then again last year for 13 games in Indianapolis.
Minshew is 15-22 as a starter in his career. He led the Colts to a 7-6 record as a starter last season, averaging 194.4 yards passing with a quarterback rating of 84.6. He finished with 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
With the Raiders, Minshew figures to have the best set of receivers he’s ever had. Adding Thomas would make it that much better. Either way, the hope is that the improved supporting cast will yield more consistent results for Minshew this time around.
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