David Thomas ( American football ) John David Thomas ( born July 5 , 1983 ) is an American football tight end who is currently a free agent . He was drafted by the New England Patriots of the National Football League in the third round of the 2006 NFL Draft , and also played for the New Orleans Saints . He played college football at Texas . Early years . Thomas attended Frenship High School in Wolfforth , Texas , and helped Frenship reach the state semi - finals in its division in 2000 . Thomas excelled at linebacker , running back and tight end for the Tigers , leading to speculation about what his role would be as a college player . After a heated recruiting battle with Texas Tech University , the University of Texas secured a commitment from Thomas to play tight end for the Longhorns . College career . At Texas , Thomas broke school records for receptions , touchdowns , and yards by a tight end , as well as for receptions in a single game . He was also a candidate for the John Mackey Award , given to the nation ' s best tight end , and for the Draddy Trophy , for academic merit by a student athlete . In both 2004 and 2005 Thomas was named to the Academic All - Big 12 First Team for accomplishments in the classroom . Long a favorite of quarterback Vince Young , Thomas played a prominent role in the Longhorn ' s 41 - 38 National Championship upset of then # 1 USC in the 2006 Rose Bowl , hauling in a game - high 10 receptions for 88 yards . He majored in kinesiology . Professional career . New England Patriots . Thomas was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2006 NFL Draft . In the first 14 games of his rookie 2006 season , Thomas had only six receptions for a total of 76 yards , though three of those catches were for first downs ( including his first two NFL completions which went for 29 and 11 yards , respectively ) . His breakout game came against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 16 when , filling in for an injured Benjamin Watson , Thomas caught five passes for a total of 83 yards , including his first NFL touchdown on a 22 - yard pass from Tom Brady . Thomas suffered a foot injury during the Patriots ' 2007 offseason conditioning program and was placed on the team ' s Active / Physically Unable to Perform list for training camp and the preseason . After catching only one pass in one game played for the 2007 season , Thomas was placed on injured reserve by the Patriots on October 3 , 2007 in what was suspected to be a re - aggravation of the foot injury he suffered before the start of the season . The Patriots went undefeated during the season while Thomas was absent until losing to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII . In 2008 , Thomas started 10 games as part of a two - tight end formation that also included Watson , who started 9 games . Thomas had nine catches during the season for 93 yards , but none after November 2 . He was also a healthy inactive in a December 7 game against the Seattle Seahawks . New Orleans Saints . Thomas was traded to the New Orleans Saints on September 5 , 2009 in exchange for a seventh - round draft choice in the 2011 NFL Draft . He had 35 receptions during the 2009 season , a career high . On February 19 , 2013 , it was announced that the Saints had terminated Thomas ' contract .