Michael Thomas has been ruled out of Week 3 by the New Orleans Saints with a high ankle sprain.

Thomas has not practiced since he suffered the ankle injury during the final minutes of Week 1.

Thomas wasn't placed on injured reserve with the hopes he would return before Week 5.

Thomas won the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year award last season after setting the NFL record with 149 catches in a season.

Drew Brees is laughing off talk about the growing narrative that he is showing signs of decline to start his 20th NFL season.

"Well, my job is to execute the offense. ... My job's not to have the most air yards or throw the ball down the field most or anything like that," Brees said after the New Orleans Saints lost 34-24 to the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night Football.

"I think I've always evaluated myself on being a great decision-maker. And so, at the end of the day, I'll throw the ball to the open guy, move the ball down the field, score points, help us win football games. So that's my job," Brees said. "My job's to help us win. My job's to help put everyone around me in the best position to succeed."

Brees' average of 4.82 air yards on passes this season is the lowest of any quarterback through two games since Brett Favre in 2009.

He completed 26 of 38 attempts for 312 yards and one touchdown with one interception Monday.

The New Orleans Saints sent Michael Thomas' ankle MRI to Green Bay to havesurgeon Dr. Robert Anderson review it, according to sources.

Anderson determined the wide receiver has a mild high ankle sprain. The Saints play their Week 3 game against the Packers in Green Bay, where they will have Thomas meet in person with Anderson, who is the Packers' team doctor.

Thomas has been ruled out for Monday night's game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Michael Thomas is week-to-week with a high ankle injury and is expected to miss Week 2 when the New Orleans Saints play at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

High ankle sprains typically are a 3-4 week injury. Thomas has resisted going on injured reserve.

Thomas has missed only one game due to injury in his career.

The New Orleans Saints were interested in signing Tom Brady had Drew Brees decided to retire this past offseason.

Sean Payton and Brady share a respectful relationship and the Saints believed they could land Brady.

Brees eventually decided to continue his playing career and signed a two-year, $50 million deal. Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a few days later.

The Los Angeles Chargers and Miami Dolphins also had interest in Brady.

Alvin Kamara and the New Orleans Saints have agreed to a five-year extension with $75 million in new money.

The deal includes $34.333 million in guaranteed money.

The average annual value matches what Ezekiel Elliott signed with the Dallas Cowboys in 2019 and only trails Christian McCaffrey's $16 million per year.

Kamara was the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2017 after being drafted in the third round out of Tennessee. He has been one of the league's most dynamic dual threats as a runner and receiver, with a total of 2,408 rushing yards, 2,068 receiving yards and 38 touchdowns. His 4,476 yards from scrimmage are the fifth most in the league since 2017.

Drew Brees hasn't declared this his final NFL season, but he isn't shying away from characterizing this as a "Super Bowl or bust" season for the New Orleans Saints.

"Hey, at this time, man, I'm on borrowed time," the 41-year-old quarterback said. "I've got nothing to lose. So I'm turning it loose and letting the chips fall where they may."

Brees will be an analyst for NBC after he retires. He is hoping New Orleans' previous playoff failures are just the prologue to a second Super Bowl title before he rides off into the sunset.

"I know that everything happens for a reason, and in most cases, failure is your best teacher," said Brees, who was the MVP of Super Bowl XLIV in February 2010. "That's the approach I've always taken, and that's the approach this team has taken. And I feel like we've found a way to garner strength from each one of these moments over these last few years. And it's only made us better."

The San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints are the favorites to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.

The 49ers' odds are at +500 while the Saints are at +550. The implied odds of the 49ers winning the conference are at 16.7 percent.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+600), Dallas Cowboys (+650) and Seattle Seahawks (+750) round out the top-5.

Washington has the longest odds at +10,000.

While speaking with the media on Monday, Alvin Kamara mostly avoided questions about his contract talks with the New Orleans Saints.

Kamara did, however, counter the narrative that he was holding out from Saints practices during a recent four-day stretch.

"I ain't never held out in my life," the running back said. "I came to the building every day. That's all I've got to say."

Kamara is heading into the final year of his rookie contract, but so far he and the Saints have been unable to bridge the gap regarding a long-term extension.

The New Orleans Saints attempted to acquire Jadeveon Clowney via a sign-and-trade, but the NFL said it would not be allowed.

The idea was for another team to sign Clowney and pay his signing bonus and then immediately trade him and his remaining salary to the Saints in exchange for a draft pick.

The other team essentially would have been "buying" a draft pick, which the NFL has never allowed.

The Saints were prepared to send a second-round pick and a player to the unspecified team.

Clowney instead signed with the Tennessee Titans.