An unfortunate sequence of injuries have prevented wide receiver Michael Thomas to play at his best level for several years now. His last season with more than 1,000 yards was before pandemic, in 2019 — it was that absurd season with 149 catches for 1,725 yards and nine touchdowns.

He has played 20 games in four seasons since, though, and his production is far removed from what it once was. Last season, Thomas played ten games in his last season with the New Orleans Saints, with 448 yards and a score.

All that being said, Thomas is still 31. It’s hard to imagine a scenario where he goes back to his prime days, but the receiver can still be a productive role player in the right situation if he stays healthy.

Below, let’s discuss five potential teams that would make sense for Michael Thomas.

Denver Broncos

Nobody knows better what to do with Michael Thomas than Sean Payton. After all, the best days of the wide receiver’s career happened with him in New Orleans. The Broncos have some interesting pieces at receiver with Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims, and recently drafted Troy Franklin. However, after trading Jerry Jeudy to the Cleveland Browns, there’s enough space and targets to add a piece with a high ceiling and experience in the system. The Broncos are not in a comfortable cap situation, with only $7.6 million in space, but it’s easy to structure the deal in a way to move the impact to the future.

Los Angeles Chargers

It doesn’t look like the Chargers will value the receiver position as much under head coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman, but they did invest in the position adding DJ Chark in free agency and Ladd McConkey early in the draft. Thomas seems to be a good complementary piece and an excellent fit for what quarterback Justin Herbert likes to do.

The Chargers have $20.6 million in cap space, and therefore the addition wouldn’t negatively impact the rest of the roster construction.

Kansas City Chiefs

It’s impossible to make a list like that and not include the Chiefs, even though the receiver situation looks much better than a year ago. General manager Brett Veach added Xavier Worthy in the first round and Marquise Brown in free agency. The big question mark is if and how many games Rashee Rice might miss because of his off-the-field issues, and that uncertainty creates a scenario where Michael Thomas could make sense.

The Chiefs are in the type of situation where they probably wouldn’t be willing to pay much money to Thomas, but at the same type he could sign with them for cheap chasing a ring.

New York Giants

If role is more relevant for Michael Thomas than collective results, going to the Giants might make sense for the veteran. The team did draft Malik Nabers with the sixth overall pick, and they also have Darius Slayton, Isaiah Hodgins, Jalin Hyatt, and a diminished version of Allen Robinson. General manager Joe Schoen is willing to build around quarterback Daniel Jones for now, and the idea of adding a high-end piece is intriguing. Thomas could realistically become a starter in that group, even if he’s not in his prime anymore.

New England Patriots

The Patriots have $43.583 million in cap space, second in the entire NFL, so the addition of Michael Thomas would impact the team’s financial situation. The wide receiver group is a combination of young pieces like Demario Douglas and Tyquan Thornton, rookies Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker, plus mid-level free agent additions made over the last few years — Kendrick Bourne, KJ Osborn, JuJu Smith-Schuster. It’s not like they need Michael Thomas, but a reclamation project could elevate the ceiling of the offense for whenever rookie quarterback Drake Maye is ready to start.