NFL History: 50 greatest quarterback-wide receiver tandems in NFL history

DETROIT, MI - OCTOBER 27: Matthew Stafford #9 of the Detroit Lions celebrates with teammate Calvin Johnson #81 after a first quarter touchdown the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Ford Field on October 27, 2013 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images) /

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Drew Brees and Michael Thomas (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /

The 35th greatest quarterback-wide receiver duo in NFL history: Drew Brees & Michael Thomas

By the time Drew Brees got his hands on Michael Thomas, he was 37 years old. Although he still had plenty left in the tank, they never reached their true potential.

In their first year as teammates, Brees was incredible. With his 6’3, 212-pound receiver bullying the competition, Brees had one of the best seasons of his already ridiculously great career. Brees led the league in passing yards with 5,208, yards per game and completions with 471. Brees churned out four Pro Bowl years with Thomas and in turn, Thomas transformed the wide receiver into one of the best in the game.

When he was healthy, Thomas seemed to be head and shoulders above the rest. His numbers from day one continued to go through the roof. He caught 92 balls for 1,137 yards as a rookie. Thomas went on in his sophomore season to better those stats by catching 104 passes for 1,245 yards. Year three was a great one for Thomas. He went for 1,405 receiving yards while catching a league-leading 125 passes. But just when the rest of the NFL world thought he couldn’t get any better, he proved them wrong. Thomas led the league in receiving yards again in 2019 with 1,725 yards. He also set the single-season record for catches with 149.

As a tag team, Brees and Thomas led the Saints to a number of deep playoff runs but luck was never on their side as they got the short end of the stick time and time again.

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