The Facts: The Saints know that when it’s time to pay Thomas, it’s going to cost a pile. They appear content for that pile to be the biggest in the league. According to Dianna Russini of ESPN, the Saints and their star wide receiver are “progressing” on contract talks, and the team is “comfortable making him the highest-paid receiver in the game.”

Diehards Line: That could move a deal within range of the start of training camp, because once you’ve agreed on that basic premise, the rest of it is just haggling. The talks have been amicable, and Thomas said earlier this offseason it never occurred to him to not show up for offseason conditioning and voluntary OTAs. Thomas has caught 321 passes in his first three seasons, the most for any player in their first three years in the league. That’s well ahead of No. 2 on that list (Odell Beckham Jr., 288), so it stands to reason that Thomas’ contract numbers are going to be huge as well.