METAIRIE, La. -- Michael Thomas didn’t make many rookie mistakes during his record-breaking season with the New Orleans Saints.
But he did slip up right there at the end.
Thomas swapped jerseys with Atlanta Falcons star Julio Jones after Sunday’s season finale, then quickly realized he wanted to keep the jersey for his father because he had just broken all of the Saints’ rookie receiving marks.
“I’ll have to see if I can get that back,” Thomas said after the game.
Thomas’ faux pas backs up what he kept insisting: that he was more concerned about team goals than individual achievements, and he was disappointed that the Saints finished their 7-9 season with the 38-32 loss at Atlanta.
But of course the second-round draft pick from Ohio State said he took pride in his remarkable debut season, which was one of the best in NFL history.
Thomas’ 92 catches are the second-most of any rookie receiver, behind only Anquan Boldin's 101 in 2003 and just ahead of Odell Beckham Jr. (2014) and Eddie Royal (2008) with 91 each.
Thomas’ 1,137 yards ranked sixth among rookies in NFL history and his nine touchdowns tied for 15th, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
All three of those totals set new franchise highs for the Saints, knocking the likes of Marques Colston, Reggie Bush and Donte' Stallworth out of the record books.
"I believed in myself," Thomas said. "I play with a chip on my shoulder; I'll never lose it. I feel like I kind of got slept on during the draft process, but everything happens for a reason and I'm here today. And I never gave up. I feel like that shows a lot of character, but I'm just going to keep building on this year and put this behind me and try to build on it after Year 1. How do I respond?”
Or as he put it more succinctly on Twitter:
All I did this year was become more of a savage. #shhhh pic.twitter.com/ieCJN1oXDC
— Mike Thomas (@Cantguardmike) January 4, 2017
Forget just comparing the big, sure-handed, 6-foot-3, 212-pounder to other rookies. He was second among all NFL players this season with 183 yards after first contact, according to research by ESPN Stats & Info.
Thomas had only two dropped passes. But his season low point came when he lost two fumbles during the fourth quarter of a close loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 10.
“[I need to] stay honest with myself, correct mistakes I made this year so I don’t make ‘em next year. For instance, I always go back to the Broncos game with those fumbles,” Thomas said. “And [I need to] build off that, see how far we can take it.
“I feel like I grew a bunch this year, but it wasn’t just me myself individually, it was the supporting cast around me, from Drew [Brees] to the offensive line, to guys on defense, to my position coach, to Coach [Sean] Payton. Every day just grinding, grinding, grinding and taking coaching, trusting it. And this is where it’s gotten me, but I feel like I have a lot more to go. And I’m just excited to get back on that field with these guys.”
Payton has heaped praise on Thomas ever since he gave him a fantasy-football endorsement back in the summer.
“Mike Thomas is all football,” Payton told WWL Radio on Monday. “As a rookie, you really never know until the players get in the pads and get involved in the preseason. But it never really seemed too big for him. You guys saw his maturation happen very quickly in front of our eyes.
“He’s a big target, he’s physical, and he’s also really tough to tackle after the catch. ... He was one of a handful of guys this year as rookies that stepped up and we were encouraged with.”
Saints offensive tackle Zach Strief described Thomas as “super competitive,” with a “burning desire to be a great football player.” But Thomas has those traits, Strief said, “almost to a fault.”
“You gotta like calm Mike down sometimes because he wants it so bad,” Strief said. “And you put that on top of talent and ability and all those things, the guy just has a burning desire to be a great football player, and it shows on the field. I think you see him play almost recklessly, he wants it so bad -- and the same way in practice, same way in camp.
“And, look, to do anything that Marques Colston did here is special, and he's gonna have a great career here."
