Thomas (knee) is now a free agent, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports.

EDGE Analysis

His contract was a bit confusing, with Thomas technically signed beyond 2024 but having some unusual bonuses that ensured his release. He's now free to sign with any team, having been cut loose by the Saints and designated as a post-June 1 release, per Luke Johnson of The New Orleans Times-Picayune. There hasn't been any update on the knee injury that cost Thomas the final seven games of 2023.

The Saints plan to release Thomas (knee) soon, Jeff Duncan of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

The structure of Thomas' contract all but guarantees he'll be released before March 13 when the new league year starts. He turned 31 a few days ago and has been with the Saints since they took him in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft, but he's played just 20 games in four years since setting a league record with 149 receptions in 2019. Thomas averaged 117.5 catches for 1,378 yards and eight touchdowns over the first four seasons of his career, before an ankle injury Week 1 of 2020 started his run of misfortune. A knee injury cost him the final seven games of 2023, but there hasn't been any report of Thomas needing surgery.

Thomas (knee) caught 39 of 64 targets for 448 yards and one touchdown in 10 games during the 2023 season.

EDGE Analysis

For the fourth consecutive season, Thomas struggled to stay on the field due to injuries. The 30-year-old wideout appeared in double-digit games for the first time since his record-setting 2019 season, but he still missed the final seven contests of the year while on IR with a right knee injury. Thomas continued to put up similar numbers on a per-reception basis compared to the majority of his career, averaging 11.5 yards per catch. However, his overall production was curbed by the presence of Chris Olave, who has taken on a role as the Saints' No. 1 receiver since being selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Thomas finished with one fewer reception despite seeing nine more targets than his seven-game 2020 season, and he fell short of 500 receiving yards for the fourth straight season. He will enter the final season of his five-year, $96.25 million contract, and he is currently set to cost about $12.4 million against the Saints' cap in 2024.

Coach Dennis Allen said Wednesday that Thomas (knee) isn't ready to return to practice, Sean Fazende of Fox 8 New Orleans reports.

EDGE Analysis

Thomas thus appears unlikely to be designated for return from injured reserve due to the right knee injury that he sustained Week 10 at Minnesota. The Saints are vying for a spot in the postseason, but if that doesn't come to pass, Thomas seems destined to finish this season with 39 catches (on 64 targets) for 448 yards and one touchdown in 10 contests.

Thomas (knee) isn't practicing Wednesday, Matthew Paras of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

EDGE Analysis

It come as no surprise after coach Dennis Allen's comments Tuesday made it sound unlikely that Thomas would be back this week. The wideout has missed five games and is eligible to return from injured reserve at any point now.

Saints head coach Dennis Allen was non-committal Tuesday about Thomas' (knee) status for Sunday's game in Tampa Bay, though the expectation is that the wideout won't practice this week, Luke Johnson of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

EDGE Analysis

Thomas has already been sidelined for six weeks and has missed five games with the right knee injury he suffered in a Nov. 12 game against the Vikings, but the Saints haven't provided much of an indication that he's close to a return. The wideout was eligible to have his 21-day evaluation window opened last week, but the Saints didn't clear him to practice at any point, and he doesn't appear set to resume on-field work this week, either. With Thomas trending toward another absence, the Saints will be left with A.T. Perry, Keith Kirkwood and Lynn Bowden as their depth options behind starting wideouts Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed.

Thomas (knee) won't have his practice window opened prior to Thursday's game against the Rams, Mike Triplett of New Orleans.Football reports.

EDGE Analysis

Thomas has spent the requisite four weeks on injured reserve, so his 21-day practice window can be opened at any point moving forward. The veteran wide receiver isn't ready to return yet, and coach Dennis Allen was unable to provide a return timetable for Thomas on Monday. After Thursday's game, the Saints won't play again until Sunday, Dec. 31 in Tampa Bay.

Thomas (knee) is expected to return from injured reserve at some point this season, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports.

EDGE Analysis

Thomas injured his right knee early in the Saints' Week 10 loss to the Vikings and was placed on IR following the team's Week 11 bye. He'll be sidelined through at least Week 15, but the Saints are seemingly expecting him back at some point over the final three weeks of the regular season, though the calculus might change a bit if they continue to lose games and somehow fall out of the playoff hunt in a laughably weak NFC South. New Orleans was in first place at the time of Thomas' injury but has since slipped to one game behind the Falcons, who would be all but assured of having the upper hand for any division tiebreakers if they beat the Buccaneers this Sunday to move to 4-0 within the NFC South.

The Saints placed Thomas (knee) on injured reserve Tuesday, Brooke Kirchhofer of NewOrleans.Football reports.

EDGE Analysis

Thomas sustained a knee injury on the opening drive in the team's last game Week 10 at Minnesota and wasn't able to return. Afterward, coach Dennis Allen called it a "fairly significant" issue, and following a Week 11 bye, he added that Thomas was "going to take some time" to get healthy, per John Hendrix of SI.com. With the veteran wideout sidelined, Rashid Shaheed and rookie sixth-rounder A.T. Perry should handle expanded roles.

Saints head coach Dennis Allen said Monday that Thomas' knee injury is "going to take some time," though Allen didn't specify whether the receiver would require a stint on injured reserve, John Hendrix of SI.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The Saints are coming off a Week 11 bye, but Thomas is still in recovery mode after he injured his right knee on the team's first offensive play of a Week 10 loss to Minnesota. He stayed on the field for the next play and recorded a reception, but he checked out of the game and visited the injury tent on the sideline before being ruled out for the rest of the day. Though the Saints haven't provided a proper diagnosis for Thomas' injury, Allen referred to it as a "significant" one a week ago, making it unlikely that the wideout is ready to play this Sunday in Atlanta. Even if Thomas is ruled out ahead of the Week 12 game, he'll still be worth monitoring into Saturday, when New Orleans could place him on IR if there's an expectation he'll need at least four weeks to recover from the injury.