New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas broke the NFL’s all-time record for career receptions through a player’s first three seasons on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The record was previously set by former LSU Tigers wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry, who tied for 288 career catches at the end of their first three seasons in 2016.
Thomas came very close to at least tying their record last week against the Dallas Cowboys, reeling in five of his eight targets to set his career total at 287.
Now he’s broken it after logging two catches against Tampa Bay.
Thomas went into this Buccaneers game with 3,502 career receiving yards – when Beckham and Landry tied for the record, they had 4,122 yards and 3,051, respectively. So Thomas fits nicely right in the middle.
Before Beckham and Landry tied for that three-year career total, the pace was set by Cincinnati Bengals star A.J. Green (260), who surpassed the mark established by Anquan Boldin with the Arizona Cardinals back in 2005 (259).
It’s clear evidence of the developing state of receiving talent in the NFL.
The 25-year old Saints sensation has broken this type of record before, logging 196 receptions through his first two years to set the bar for New Orleans and flash past the high-water mark set by Landry (194).
But showcasing this kind of consistency is rare, and Thomas still has three more games to play. He could very well set the record so high that nobody is able to catch up for years to come.