As if the Pittsburgh Steelers’ already shallow number of wide receiver options weren’t limited enough, free agent WR Michael Thomas has been suspended for the first week of the regular season, according to Ian Rapoport via the NFL transaction sheet.
Per Rapoport, the suspension is for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. Thomas was arrested in 2023 and charged with simple battery and criminal mischief. He’s accused of getting into an argument with a neighbor, throwing a brick at his truck’s windshield, and then knocking a phone out of the neighbor’s hands. He later reached an agreement to enter a pretrial diversion program, wiping the charges off his record upon completion of it.
Thomas has been floated as a potential Steelers addition and a name we’ve discussed a little bit following the team losing out on the Brandon Aiyuk sweepstakes. Released by the New Orleans Saints early in the offseason, Thomas was once among the league’s best wide receivers. A three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro, he led the league in receptions in 2018 and 2019 and the NFL in receiving yards in 2019.
Since getting injured in 2020, his career has spiraled. Over the last four seasons, Thomas has appeared in just 20 games, recording barely more than 1,000 receiving yards and four touchdowns. He missed the 2021 season due to an ankle injury that’s plagued him throughout the latter half of his career, requiring multiple surgeries that his body rejected.
Michael Thomas, now 31, was healthy to begin the 2023 season and played in the first 10 games, catching 39 passes for 448 yards and one touchdown. But he was no longer a playmaker and did his damage underneath, failing to eclipse more than 68 yards in a game. Worse, he hurt his knee in Week 10 and went on injured reserve, missing the remainder of the season. The Saints cut him at the start of the new league year.
Since, Thomas has been searching for a new team. While his suspension is just for one week, it’ll be another reason for teams to steer clear of him and a missed opportunity to get up to speed with a new organization if there was leaguewide interest prior to Week 1.
