NEW ORLEANS -- In what was an expected move, the New Orleans Saints released wide receiver Michael Thomas on Wednesday, according to a source.
The Saints designated Thomas as a post-June 1 release, which will save $1.2 million against the salary cap for 2024. Thomas, who finished the season on injured reserve with a knee injury, was listed as a failed physical designation.
The Saints also released quarterback Jameis Winston, who agreed to terms with the Cleveland Browns on Tuesday, as a post-June 1 release.
The move was essentially a formality, as Thomas reworked his contract last spring to stay in New Orleans. Although the contract was for two seasons on paper, both sides viewed it as a one-year deal, with major roster bonuses triggering if Thomas remained on the roster after the new league year began Wednesday.
The contract was designed with the idea that a new one would be drawn up if Thomas were to remain in New Orleans. The team will now part ways with Thomas, the 2019 Offensive Player of the Year who holds multiple NFL and franchise records.
Thomas in 2019 set the NFL record for most catches in a season with 149, for 1,725 yards and 9 touchdowns.
Thomas leaves New Orleans having totaled 565 catches for 6,569 yards and 36 touchdowns. He holds the Saints' rookie record for receiving yards (1,137) and the single-season franchise record for both catches and receiving yards. Thomas is fourth in franchise history in receiving yards and catches, and seventh in receiving touchdowns.
Thomas, a 2016 second-round pick, improved his statistics in each of his first four seasons in New Orleans. He played in 63 games to start his career, catching 470 passes for 5,512 yards and 32 touchdowns.
Injuries, however, derailed his final four years as a Saint. A lingering ankle issue, along with toe and knee injuries, limited him to just 20 regular-season games from 2020 to 2023 and caused him to miss the entire 2021 season.
Thomas caught just 95 passes for 1,057 yards and 4 touchdowns in that span, including 39 catches and 1 touchdown in 2023.
Thomas' tenure with the Saints reached a rocky ending last season. Thomas was arrested on misdemeanor battery charges in November after getting into an altercation with a man doing construction work near his house.
He injured his knee two days later in the Saints' Week 10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings and did not play for the rest of the season.
Thomas, 31, will now become a free agent for the first time in his career.