It Probably Won't Be Investigated, but Michael Thomas Currently Has a Case to Be the NFL's MVP

It's not happening. Only in the wildest dreams of a Who Dat Nation of fans, that find faith in every flex that follows yet another inevitable first down catch from someone who has turned Cant Guard Mike from a twitter handle to an irrefutable fact of life, does Michael Thomas stand a chance of being recognized as the NFL's most impactful player. That's due in small part to him forever feeling subconsciously slighted and caring about endearing himself to voters as much as he cares about endearing himself to the corners, who might as well be nameless and faceless, whose confidence he chokes the life out of every Sunday. However, it's due mostly to playing a position whose value predominantly pales in comparison to that of those entrusting him with targets.

Of course, the idea that even the best wide receivers are quarterback-dependent has been counter-punched by the unconditional efficiency of a player whose every route run, whether it be at the cue of Teddy Bridgewater or Drew Brees, now comes with the expectation that it will end with him being more open than the MVP race...

As the MVP discussion heats up, I wondered about #Saints WR Michael Thomas’ role keeping them rolling with Drew Brees out. So I asked @NFLResearch. Turns out, Thomas’ production has been identical with Brees and Teddy Bridgewater. Hugely valuable. pic.twitter.com/rGef0k3jsT

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 22, 2019

​Still, the options under center would have to be few and far between come Week 16 for a pass-catcher to break decades of precedent in having the league's most decorated award be within their catch radius. 

That, however, doesn't mean it's not worth offering the argument. As deaf as the ears on which they may ring, Michael Thomas' numbers speak for themselves. Receptions. Yards. Catch rate. They voice a level of production and consistency that are setting the pace for history in putting to a damn whimper the play of every single one of his pass-happy peers...

Now halfway through the season, Saints WR Michael Thomas is on pace for 146 catches, 1,750 receiving yards and 8 TD. That would be the most catches in a single season in NFL history. The man is unstoppable.

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) October 28, 2019

Targets vs % caught for all wide receivers through week 7. Michael Thomas is the red dot. pic.twitter.com/YHloKAjzZ0

— Jeff Asher (@Crimealytics) October 25, 2019

 
Alvin Kamara and Latavius Murray have taken turns picking up some slack, but the offense of a team that enters the bye on a six-game win streak despite losing its All-World QB for over a month has largely been dragged through the strength of its schedule by the unrelenting vice grip of its money man...

That 9-yard pass to Austin Carr was the Saints' first completion to a WR other than Thomas or Ginn Jr., since Brees was injured in Week 2, h/t @Guersmith

— Jeff Duncan (@JeffDuncan_) October 27, 2019

You want an out-of-the-box (score) stat on which to judge a season that, to this point, has been superior to the one that earned Michael Thomas what was the richest wide receiver contract ever? How about ROI? The return the Saints have gotten on their investment into what's typically considered a complimentary position has been their main source of success. Never mind it being the cost of doing business, because if you had to put a price tag on a performance that has thus far transcended the toughest of circumstance then it might well exceed the 21+ million dollars that Michael Thomas is due this year. 

Simply put, we're talking about a guy that knows full well what it's like to serve as the exception to a rule. That far, far more than likely won't prove true when the MVP eventually gets awarded, but - at the midseason point - counting out a competitor as crazed as Mike is as futile an endeavor as guarding him.