Source - Saints to keep WR Michael Thomas on 1-year deal

NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Saints, in a surprise turn of events, will retain wide receiver Michael Thomas, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The sides have agreed to a one-year, $10 million deal that could pay Thomas up to $15 million, the source told Schefter.

A parting of ways looked inevitable in January after the Saints restructured Thomas' deal, bringing his base salary to the league minimum for 2023 and 2024 in exchange for large roster bonuses that would have made keeping him or trading him extremely difficult.

But the Saints said publicly that nothing had been decided and the move simply gave them flexibility in free agency.

It became clear the tide was turning last week after the Saints agreed to terms with former Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr. Thomas retweeted several articles about the addition of Carr on his social media account, adding «Thank you Jesus,» in another tweet.

Carr spoke glowingly of Thomas during his introductory news conference Saturday, speaking as if they would be playing together in 2023, while Saints coach Dennis Allen sat next to the quarterback with a smile on his face.

Carr said he and Thomas got close because of their conversations on the phone. He even told Saints general manager Mickey Loomis after one of those conversations that he felt like the pair could «go out there and face the world.» Carr said the main phone conversations featured an impatient Thomas already eager to start working together in the offseason.

«I told my wife when I got off the phone, and she was like, 'Why are you smiling?' And I was like, 'I love this guy!' He's so competitive. Just the energy that he brings, it would be very exciting… to throw him the football,» Carr said.

Thomas, a 2016