Saints quarterback Derek Carr and wide receiver Mike Thomas haven’t practiced together for long, but they already have a connection.
“If he went out there and ran certain routes right now, I’d know exactly what he was going to do and I’d put it on him,” Carr said. “It’s just cool to have him in the building. Everyone was excited to see him. Everybody loves him here, they love his work ethic, they love his competitiveness, his leadership, the way he practices, the way he prepares.”
Thomas was the NFL’s offensive player of the year in 2019 but has had a bad run of injuries and has played in a total of just 10 games over the last three seasons. But Carr sees a silver lining even in that injury history, saying that it reflects how hard Thomas pushes himself.
“He’s such a worker, that’s probably why injuries happen, when you play that way and work that hard,” Carr said. “You don’t ask a guy like that to tone down.”
It may be unrealistic to expect Thomas to ever be the same player he was in 2019. But if he could even come close, that would go a long way toward helping Carr find success in his new home.
