Pierre Thomas

Charles Pierre Thomas Jr. (born December 18, 1984) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Illinois Fighting Illini. He was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2007. Thomas developed into an all-around threat as a runner, pass catcher, blocker, and special teams player. He led the Saints in rushing yards in 2008 and 2009 and again in 2013, when he also led all NFL running backs in receiving yards. He became known for his excellence in executing the screen pass; it was a screen pass on which he scored the Saints' first touchdown in their 31–17 win in Super Bowl XLIV, two weeks after he had scored two touchdowns in the Saints' 2009 NFC Championship game victory. He was twice named to the all-state teams of the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times and as a senior he was player of the year for the Champaign News-Gazette. Some of his self-taught practice for high school football included running up a steep hill with a backpack full of books on and pushing cars around.

College career He was recruited by the University of Illinois. He led the team in rushing for three seasons. In 40 games he ran for 2,545 yards (6th all-time in Illinois history) and 20 touchdowns, had 57 catches for 411 yards and 3 touchdowns, and a total of 4,451 all-purpose yards (then second all-time at Illinois).

Professional career

New Orleans Saints Brief overview Thomas signed with the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent, on the recommendation of special teams coach Greg McMahon, who had previously been an assistant at Illinois.

2007 Thomas's rookie year saw him buried on the depth chart behind Reggie Bush, Deuce McAllister, and Aaron Stecker, only logging 79 touches all year. During Week 2, Thomas turned only the second touch from scrimmage of his NFL career into a 24-yard touchdown against the Saints’ longtime rival, the Atlanta Falcons. Thomas was afforded the opportunity to touch the ball on 32 of the 83 offensive plays. He finished the game with 226 yards from scrimmage and the second touchdown of his career.

2008 After once again starting the season buried on the depth chart, a mid-season injury to Reggie Bush gave Pierre Thomas the lead-back opportunity on the NFL's highest scoring offense. During Weeks 11–16, Thomas averaged 112.8 scrimmage yards per game as the Saints went 4–2. He was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 14. He scored at least one touchdown in all six games, including two-touchdown performances in three of them.

2009 After losing the majority of Week 1 to injury, Thomas got his first full-game action of the season going in Week 2 with a rushing performance that would end up as the best of his entire 9-year career. Thomas ran for 126 yards and two touchdowns on just 14 carries in a dominant 27–7 victory over the Buffalo Bills. Thomas only received more than 14 carries once more all season, but at 5.89 scrimmage yards per touch, he served as an efficient Saints’ contributor during their 13–0 start to the season. In the NFC Championship Game against the Minnesota Vikings, Thomas contributed 99 yards and two touchdowns in a narrow 31–28 overtime win that sent the Saints to Super Bowl XLIV. He produced another 85 yards and the Saints first touchdown of the game on his famous screen pass to help put the Saints in position to beat the Indianapolis Colts with a score of 31–17. This win marked the first championship in New Orleans Saints history, capping off an impressive 16–3 season and Thomas's career best 1,095 yards from scrimmage.

2010–2011 After losing all but 6 games of the 2010 season due to ankle injuries, Pierre Thomas bounced back in 2011 with another productive season for the 13–3 Saints. He only had two games all season with over 100 yards from scrimmage, however he still finished with 987 yards on 6.17 yards per touch. After totaling 121 yards in the NFC Wildcard Round against the Detroit Lions, Thomas's season ended earlier than expected against the San Francisco 49ers. In the NFC Divisional Round, he took a shot to the head on the 1-yard line that resulted in a concussion. The Saints lost the game 32–36 and Thomas did not see the field again until the 2012 season.

Thomas is best remembered for the Monday Night Game against Atlanta on December 26, 2011, when he placed a Christmas bow on a football then gave it to a fan as a Christmas present during a touchdown, drawing a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. The next day, he was fined $7,500 and an additional $5,000 for wearing red and green tape, a violation of the league's uniform policy.

2012 In Week 2 of the 2012 season, against the Panthers, Thomas had 143 scrimmage yards in the 35–27 loss. He had 105 carries for 473 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown to go with 39 receptions for 354 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in 15 games and four starts in the 2012 season.

2013 In Week 5 of the 2013 season, against the Bears, Thomas had two receiving touchdowns in the 26–18 victory. In Week 10, against the Cowboys, he had 111 scrimmage yards, one rushing touchdown, and one receiving touchdown in the 49–17 victory. In the 2013 season, Thomas had 147 carries for 549 rushing yard and two rushing touchdowns to go with 77 receptions for 513 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns in 16 games and nine starts.

2014 Thomas appeared in 11 games and started three in the 2014 season. He had 45 carries for 222 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns to go with 45 receptions for 378 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.

On March 4, 2015, the Saints released Thomas, making him a free agent.

San Francisco 49ers On November 3, 2015, Thomas was signed by the San Francisco 49ers. He was cut by the 49ers on November 10, 2015, after only playing one game against the Atlanta Falcons.

Washington Redskins On December 11, 2015, Thomas was signed by the Washington Redskins. He played in four regular season games and one postseason game with Washington.

As of the 2024 season, Pierre Thomas holds the record for the highest career catch percentage (the percentage of passes caught by a receiver when targeted) since targets began being tracked in 1992, at 84%.

Career statistics

NFL Legend Bold Career high

Regular season Year Team Games Rushing Receiving GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD 2007 NO 12 1 52 252 4.8 24 1 17 151 8.9 17 1 2008 NO 15 5 129 625 4.8 42 9 31 284 9.2 24 3 2009 NO 14 6 147 793 5.4 34 6 39 302 7.7 36 2 2010 NO 6 3 83 269 3.2 16 2 29 201 6.9 23 0 2011 NO 16 7 110 562 5.1 33 5 50 425 8.5 57 1 2012 NO 15 4 105 473 4.5 48 1 39 354 9.1 36 1 2013 NO 16 9 147 549 3.7 18 2 77 513 6.7 29 3 2014 NO 11 3 45 222 4.9 27 2 45 378 8.4 39 1 2015 SF 1 0 4 12 3.0 4 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 WAS 4 0 11 52 4.7 11 0 9 84 9.3 15 0 Career 110 38 833 3,809 4.6 48 28 336 2,692 8.0 57 12

Playoffs Year Team Games Rushing Receiving GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD 2009 NO 3 2 36 143 4.0 12 1 12 111 9.3 38 2 2011 NO 2 1 9 72 8.0 31 1 7 60 8.6 14 0 2015 WAS 1 0 4 7 1.8 7 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 Career 6 3 49 222 4.5 31 2 19 171 9.0 38 2

College statistics Year GP–GS Rushing ReceivingKick returns Att Yards Avg TD Long Avg/G Rec Rec–Yards Avg TD Long Avg/G No. Yards Avg TD Long 2003 6–0 43 233 5.4 2 35 38.8 3 12 4.0 0 8 2.0 7 134 19.1 0 29 2004 11–11 152 893 5.9 8 69 81.2 14 95 6.8 1 34 8.6 25 677 27.1 1 99 2005 11–11 121 664 5.2 5 35 60.4 28 225 8.0 1 52 20.5 20 461 23.0 0 48 2006 12–11 131 755 5.8 5 62 62.9 12 79 6.6 1 23 6.6 7 223 44.6 0 75 Career 40–33 453 2,545 5.6 20 69 63.6 57 411 7.2 3 52 10.8 59 1495 25.3 1 99

Personal life Thomas was born on Chicago's South Side, the son of Charles and Greta Thomas. His parents divorced a few years later and Greta moved with her children to Lynwood, Illinois, where she worked for the United States Postal Service.

In 2013, Thomas was the Saints' team nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award in acknowledgment of his extensive charitable activities, including his iCan Foundation, which fights childhood obesity.