Michael Thomas and Derek Carr's public dispute has roots in their on‑field overlap and early online criticism. Derek Carr signed with the New Orleans Saints on March 6, 2023, creating a teammate window that included the 2023 season when Thomas suffered a season‑ending knee injury on a Week 10 catch that he later attributed to poor ball placement [9][6]. Thomas remained on the Saints roster through a March 13, 2024 post‑June‑1 release designation (failed physical) that made him a free agent [7]. Public tension first surfaced on January 29, 2024, when Thomas replied on X that he had been "set up by a bad ball," explicitly tying a 2023 play to the injury and implicitly criticizing Carr’s placement [6]. That X reply is the earliest documented public critique in this corpus and establishes the pattern of Thomas using social media to call out a former quarterback [6]. The dispute re‑ignited on November 3, 2024, after Chris Olave was carted off with a concussion following a high pass from Derek Carr; Thomas posted a multi‑message rant on X blaming Carr’s accuracy and writing, among other lines, “Dude scary and panic and just throw the ball. Get him the f out of here he so ass,” and “He need his ass whooped,” screengrabs of which were published by NFL reporter Tom Pelissero and reproduced by Sports Illustrated and NBC Sports [8][2][3]. Those Nov. 3 posts are the inciting incident that turned earlier online friction into a widely reported public feud [1][2][3].
As of the latest reporting in this corpus (Nov. 3–4, 2024), the dispute remains public and unresolved. Michael Thomas's Nov. 3 X thread blaming Derek Carr for Chris Olave's concussion was captured in screengrabs and republished; Derek Carr responded in the Saints' postgame news conference the same day, saying “I have love for Mike” but that he did not “really care for” the posts and that he had attempted to call Thomas [8][2][1]. There is no public record of a returned call, an on‑record apology, or a private reconciliation in the sources collected through Feb. 19, 2026. The available evidence consists of on‑record quotes, the social‑media screengrabs, team roster records, and contemporaneous reporting; further developments would require on‑the‑record statements or corroborating sources beyond those cited here [1][2][7][8].
From Michael Thomas's viewpoint the dispute is about pass placement and receiver safety: he tied a Week 10, 2023 pass to a season‑ending injury on Jan. 29, 2024 and again called out Derek Carr after Chris Olave's Nov. 3, 2024 concussion via X posts [6][2]. Thomas framed his criticism as a factual claim about 'bad ball' placement that exposed receivers to dangerous hits [6][2].
From Derek Carr's perspective the public criticism was unexpected and not representative of intent: Carr said he 'has love for Mike' but did not 'really care for' the posts and maintained he would never deliberately put a teammate in harm's way [1][4]. Carr reported he attempted to reach Thomas by phone on 'different occasions' and said he did not understand the hostility [1].
From the organization's standpoint the dynamics are shaped by roster moves and public optics: Carr joined the Saints on March 6, 2023 and Thomas was designated a post‑June‑1 release on March 13, 2024, changing Thomas from an on‑roster teammate to an external critic and increasing the likelihood grievances would be aired publicly [9][7]. The team responded publicly to the Olave injury and managed medical updates while players and former players reacted on social media [1][7].
As of the latest reporting in the assembled corpus (through Feb. 19, 2026), the dispute remained public and unresolved: Thomas posted critical X messages on Nov. 3, 2024 and Carr responded the same day in the Saints' postgame news conference, and there is no public record of a reconciliation or on‑record apology [1][2][8].
The public dispute traces to Thomas's Jan. 29, 2024 X reply saying he was 'set up by a bad ball'—a reference to a Week 10, 2023 play that preceded his season‑ending knee injury—and it escalated after Chris Olave's Nov. 3, 2024 concussion following a high pass from Carr [6][1].
On Nov. 3, 2024 Chris Olave was carted off after a high pass from Derek Carr; hours later Michael Thomas posted a multi‑message X thread blaming Carr's accuracy for exposing receivers, and the thread—captured in a Tom Pelissero screengrab—prompted Carr to respond in the postgame press conference that he 'has love for Mike' but did not 'really care for' the posts [1][2][8].
Derek Carr said in the Saints' Nov. 3, 2024 postgame news conference that he had attempted to call Michael Thomas 'on different occasions' and that Thomas had not returned those calls; that claim is on the public record as reported by ESPN and other outlets [1][5].
Yes. Thomas's Nov. 3 posts were preserved in a screengrab posted by NFL reporter Tom Pelissero and reproduced by Sports Illustrated and NBC Sports, providing primary social‑media evidence of the statements [8][2][3].
The Saints designated Thomas a post‑June‑1 release (failed physical) on March 13, 2024, which changed him from an on‑roster teammate to an external critic and made public airing of grievances more likely; media noted the roster change as relevant background for later posts [7][2].
Chris Olave was taken off on a backboard and placed in concussion protocol after the Nov. 3, 2024 play, which drew an unnecessary‑roughness penalty; team medical updates followed, and the incident drove immediate public concern and commentary [1][4].
In his Nov. 3, 2024 X thread Thomas wrote lines including: 'Dude scary and panic and just throw the ball. Get him the f out of here he so ass.' and 'Dude tried to lie and say I was jealous... He need his ass whooped.' These posts were reproduced in reporters' screengrabs and articles [2][8].