De’Anthony Thomas, who was used primarily as a return man in the NFL for the Kansas City Chiefs and briefly the Baltimore Ravens, is back in football. Thomas will be taking his talents north in 2022. Specifically, the Great White North, with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League.
The Lions announced the signing on Twitter on Tuesday.
SUBJECT LINE: New Playmaker 🔥#BCLions sign WR/KR De'Anthony Thomas. The former @oregonfootball standout spent six seasons in the NFL, mostly with @Chiefs, and played a role on both offence and special teams 🦁
Welcome, @DATBLACKMOMBA13 🙌🏽
— BC LIONS (@BCLions) February 1, 2022
Thomas also has experience in the Pacific Northwest (or if you’re in Canada, the Pacific Southwest) from his days as a University of Oregon standout.
Thomas last played in the NFL during the 2019 season, which was split between the Chiefs and Ravens. In total, he returned 17 kickoffs for 321 yards and 26 punts for 148 punts that year. He opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 and was unsigned in 2021.
His signing has brought some excitement to CFL fans, one of whom would like to see Thomas reunite with his college quarterback, Marcus Mariota.
Seeing De’Anthony Thomas come up to 🇨🇦 and sign with BC has me wondering about if Marcus Mariota would ever come play in the CFL. His skillset is perfect for the league and his attitude has been raved about by coaches and teammates. I personally would love to see it. #CFL
— Troy Durrell (@DurrellTroy) February 1, 2022
Big fan of this move! De’Anthony Thomas was one of my favourite college players when he was @oregonfootball & I think he’s gonna be an absolute playmaker in the #CFL Awesome news that he’s landed with my @BCLions ! #BCLions @CFL @CFLfanUK #CFLUK https://t.co/1BIMOhuhEM
— Ben Bray (@99BenBray1) February 1, 2022
Thomas’ skills are arguably much better suited for the CFL than NFL. Returns are at more of a premium in Canada, as the CFL has returns on missed field goals in addition to punts and kickoffs.
Also, with a bigger field, Thomas will have more of an opportunity to use his speed.
DAT SPEED 🤯🤯💨
🔥 @DATBLACKMOMBA13 🔥#BCLions #GoDucks @CFL pic.twitter.com/uvSSkkBSKk
— BC LIONS (@BCLions) February 1, 2022
Time will tell how well the move will work out. But at first glance, Thomas and the CFL feel like a good pairing.
[BC Lions]
