METAIRIE, La. – Pierre Thomas ended his stellar eight-year career with the New Orleans Saints the same way he began it as an undrafted rookie in 2007: Vastly underrated.
I’m not shocked that the Saints decided to release Thomas. After all, he’s 30 years old and missed five games last year with rib and shoulder injuries, His role has been diminishing in recent years and he had to agree to a pay cut to stay in New Orleans last year.
What I’m wondering, though, is what exactly the Saints plan to do now at running back.
Because if the plan is to go with a cheap, committee approach, then they just released the perfect guy. Few NFL running backs could give you more bang for your buck than a do-everything runner/receiver/pass protector like Thomas, who wasn’t going to break the bank with $2.15 million in salary and bonuses this season.
No, he's not a high-end starter, but he's an ideal security blanket -- still an excellent third-down back who is also capable of filling in as an every-down guy if needed.
To me, this signals that the Saints might be planning to pony up and re-sign free agent Mark Ingram – something I was speculating as a possibility even before Thomas got released. If the Saints bring back Ingram, Khiry Robinson and Travaris Cadet or a mid-round draft pick next year, then sure, Thomas is expendable.
Or if they lose Ingram, maybe they like another mid-level free agent such as Shane Vereen or C.J. Spiller. Or even Reggie Bush. There are bargains to be had all over the flooded free-agent running back market right now.
One way or another, I have to imagine the Saints have a plan in place for filling up a running back cupboard that is suddenly going bare for the first time in the Sean Payton-Mickey Loomis era.
It’s also worth noting that this move wasn’t purely forced by the salary cap. As I’ve dissected many times, the Saints have several ways they can trim the necessary $22 million-plus off their salary cap by March 10 (mostly through simple bonus restructures). Any move they make – Thomas included – will be for football reasons as much as financial ones.
I was more surprised to hear the NFL Network report that the Saints are shopping middle linebacker Curtis Lofton as possible trade bait. Lofton was one of the few defensive players who didn’t disappoint last year, and he’s the type of veteran leader New Orleans needs more of in the locker room.
Other moves I'd rank as more likely: the departures of defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley and linebacker David Hawthorne; the possible departures of linebacker Junior Galette, guard Ben Grubbs and cornerback Corey White; and likely pay cuts for receiver Marques Colston and guard Jahri Evans.
But no moves will shock me. Everything’s on the table after a disappointing 7-9 season – which will be an even bigger factor with the Saints’ pending moves than their salary-cap figure.
Last but not least, Thomas deserves to be celebrated as one of the Saints’ all-time greats. He was never as underrated in New Orleans as he was on a national level. He was popular with the fans and was a vital part of their Super Bowl championship team. Quarterback Drew Brees called him the “best all-purpose back in the league” last summer.
Thomas ranks fourth in Saints history with 3,745 rushing yards, has the most receptions ever by a Saints running back (327) and ranks among the top seven in yards from scrimmage and total touchdowns. He became so prolific at running the screen pass in New Orleans' offense that it should be officially renamed in his honor.
Thomas will be in the Saints Hall of Fame the moment he’s eligible. He’s just not in the Saints’ plans on the field anymore.