MARCH 10: The Vikings are moving forward with this transaction. They will cut Thielen, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com tweets. Rather than adjust his contract, the 10-year veteran will take his chances on the market. It is not known yet if the Vikings are using the post-June 1 designation.
MARCH 9: Adam Thielen has been with the Vikings since catching on as a tryout body during the 2013 offseason, but the Minnesota native’s time with the team may be nearly up. The Vikings are considering a Thielen release, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
The 10-year Viking has been in talks with the team about a restructure this offseason, and Schefter notes more discussions are on tap. But a release is a real possibility here. The Vikings could save more than $13MM in cap space by designating Thielen a post-June 1 cut. A standard release would leave the team with $13MM-plus in dead money while only creating $6.4MM in cap space. The Vikings are $15MM over the cap as of Thursday morning.
This would be an interesting development for Thielen, who would be landing in a mediocre wide receiver market were he to be released. Justin Jefferson‘s rapid rise has overshadowed the longtime Viking cog, but Thielen still totaled 70 receptions for 716 yards and six touchdowns last season. Thielen has remained a go-to player in the red zone for Kirk Cousins, having caught 30 touchdown passes since Jefferson’s 2020 arrival.
The Division II product is, however, on the back nine of his career. Thielen will turn 33 in August. He has said he wants to finish his career with his home-state team, but if that proves impossible, a role elsewhere as a complementary target would seemingly be available to him.
Thielen has signed two extensions with the Vikings. His most recent deal — a three-year, $44.7MM re-up — runs through the 2024 season. That contract calls for Thielen to carry the second-largest cap hit on the Vikes’ 2023 payroll ($19.97MM); a March 2022 restructure inflated Thielen’s 2023 cap figure.
The Vikings are preparing for a Jefferson extension. Although the team can table that landmark deal until 2024, as Jefferson can be kept on his rookie deal for two more seasons thanks to the soon-to-be-exercised fifth-year option, GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has openly discussed this extension. Preliminary talks have taken place. The Vikings also have found another solid Jefferson complementary piece in K.J. Osborn, who has reached the 650-yard plateau in each of the past two seasons despite Thielen’s presence as the team’s No. 2 wideout.
With the Vikings before even Stefon Diggs‘ arrival, Thielen has 55 career TD catches — third in team history behind Cris Carter and Randy Moss. Thielen’s 6,682 receiving yards trail only Cris Carter, Moss and Anthony Carter in Vikings annals. Thielen’s 14 TD grabs in 2020 were the most by a Viking since Moss’ franchise-record 17 in 2003.
come on over to green bay buddy!
I’ve been saying this for months now… Vikings will part ways with Adam Thielen and he’s exactly the type of receiver Green Bay needs to add for a variety of reasons. Perfect fit
Vikings would be better served to renegotiate Thielen’s deal to lower the cap hit.
Agree experienced WRs are expensive and with Rodgers leaving. Avoid the large cap hit and bring him back on a friendly deal reducing the cap impact. Win the central again
The other option would be to flip him over to the defensive side of the ball where just about anyone would be an upgrade for the secondary.
What a mess the NFL is. A franchise icon will be released to ensure that there’s enough money in the till for QB mediocrity Kirk Cousins and to make sure the young hotshot flavour-of-the-month receiver can get his extension early.
Yes, I know the door’s just over there. Thinking seriously about walking through it.
It’s really not that big a deal. Philly released franchise icon Fletcher Cox last year and then re-signed him. Either you can have an uncapped league or you can have contract maneuvering. You can’t have neither.
But also, if you think Jefferson is a flavor of the month receiver, maybe you’re just not that into football? Absurd that they should put off extending Jefferson in favor of paying the remains of Adam Thielen like he’s still a star receiver. And I say that as a Thielen fan.
Jefferson’s extension is not due for two years. Pandering to Jefferson will not help him play better football or make him more loyal to the Vikings. Jefferson will look at the bootprints on the back of Thielen’s uniform and say to himself, “Make sure not to put any roots down in this town.”
Bootprints? Give me a break. This is how NFL contracts work, and the guy is due way more money than he’s worth. Again, releasing him doesn’t mean they can’t keep him. As for Jefferson, if you know you want to keep a player long-term, it behooves you to extend him earlier, both to send a message to him and to not let other players lift the market. You say he’s not due for a contract for two years, but receivers as good as Jefferson don’t ever make it to free agency for a reason.
Is that like a long-term deal for a shortstop who might be damaged?
No one’s buying your garbage bantering
You guys cry a lot. I’m from Detroit Lakes and even I can see that cap hit is about triple what it should be. If he and his can’t see that, they should go through the door with Alec. If Kirk is mediocre, he’s the high end, better than who you’re gonna get unless you sell the farm for a QB, and you’d still be questionable. Ridiculousness. Roll the dice on a 3rd round Bennett, trade Zadarius if he doesn’t want to be here, it’d solve a couple problems too. We need youth and speed. Hicks – out. If Bradbury don’t give a hometown price for putting up with his crumby play he can kick rocks too. I’d rather trade Cook as well, more picks.
The Vikings should not have let the Thielen situation hit the press. They should have agreed on a renegotiated contract quickly and quietly. Thielen is not a fool, he knows his own market value and if the Vikings paid it, he’d rather do that than have a whole cut and looking around in free agency circus around him.
Thielen didn’t want to readjust his contract, he wanted to test the market.
This you, Thielen?
I’d somewhat like to see the NFL copy the NBA, where you can go over the cap to retain players you drafted, but can pretty much only make additions on league minimum deals if you’re over. If you draft well you should be rewarded by being able to keep your core together, if you choose. I also think it’s better for the fans than having to watch franchise icons play the last few years of their career in a different uniform.
The NBA “salary cap” is a COMPLETE joke. The structure of it, what there is of it, serves only NBA prima donnas by allowing them to earn HUGE salaries without forcing them to be the “bad guy” while soaking up an inordinate amount of the cap, leaving less for their teammates. The hard cap the NFL has forces teams to make choices while ensuring consequences for those choices. You’re willing to give Aaron Rodgers $60M/yr??? Fine, then also deal with the fallout of such a deal, including not being able to afford every player on the team and letting them walk. A hard cap ensures that no team has a financial advantage over another and makes the NFL the most balanced, fair, and competitive league in the US. This is why the NFL is far more popular than baseball or basketball.
People don’t root for salary caps or CBAs. Football could be run exactly like either the NBA or MLB and still be the most popular sport in the country. The sport itself, the marketing, the minimal once a week schedule etc have far more to do with its popularity than its cap structure.
Alec- The thing is, Thielen wasn’t very good last season. The best season of his career wasn’t even as good as the worst season of Jefferson’s career. You can’t keep him at the expense of potentially losing an elite WR to free agency; you have to lock up that elite guy ASAP… plus his performance isn’t matching his salary anymore.
“young hotshot flavour-of-the-month receiver”
Kind of underselling Justin Jefferson here, no? Arguably the best WR in the league.
Receiver is only as good as the guy throwing the ball. You think a guy who rocks $250,000 worth of “grills” gives a crap about loyalty. He’ll take a page from the Diggs book. That’s the way it works.
Haven’t heard any complaints from Buffalo about Diggs.
I’d far rather have Justin Jefferson on his rookie contract than Diggs, burning up cap space. Jefferson cost less than what the Bills traded for Diggs.
If the Vikings were really clever, they would trade Jefferson out for a couple of firsts and a third and replace him in the draft with another talented receiver on a rookie contract. Same way the Steelers do every other year.
The odds of pulling that off as effectively again are slim to none. It’s not like even the Steelers have drafted a bunch of receivers as good as Jefferson.
The Steelers draft receivers mostly in the third round and they are damn good. Keeping receivers on rookie contracts makes the defense work. QB’s at $50 million+, receivers at $18 million+ is not sustainable.
The teams who play this lottery are basically aiming for one and done (like the Rams last year). KC doesn’t count as 2022 was the first year that Mahomes touched the cap. The real pain starts now.
Oh and Mahomes is the exception. Like a young Aaron Rodgers, Mahomes has almost magical abilities. He makes ordinary receivers into pro bowlers and good receivers into All-Pros. He opens huge opportunities for his running backs with the passing game and his own ability to run. Mahomes’s contract may give KC trouble, it’s certainly not a good reason to pay any other quarterback (as of 2023) the same kind of dosh. Even Josh Allen is not as consistently dangerous. Aaron Rodgers is on the decline, Justin Herbert is not in this category.
You say all of that after acting outraged that the Vikings aren’t going to keep Adam Thielen on at almost $20 million next year. I think your priorities are out of whack, and not working hard to keep Jefferson would be wild and obvious malpractice.
The Vikings will be paying a good part of that cap hit next year, whether Thielen is on the roster or not. Is Thielen worth $13 million (the difference)? Maybe.
You have been living under a rock!
Patriots. He’s Bill’s type of receiver.
Stop. Kraft Bob isn’t signing that large check anytime soon.
Theilen does fit the Patriots’ mold. It’s not an incorrect observation.
Apparently the Patriots are preparing for a free agency run, if certain reports are to be believed. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that Theilen comes aboard, though New England will absolutely need more than just a 33 year old route runner to improve their pass catching group.
I think people are overreaching in their assessments of Osborn. His play has come as the 3rd receiver, which generally means the guy covering him is the 3rd best on that defense. I don’t think Osborn is a clear cut #2 receiver target…but I also believe that Hockenson has that spot now. If Thielen can agree with a price at market value for a #3/4 receiver, then that would work. This all sucks as I am a big Thielen fan as well.
It comes down to if a player really wants to be with a certain team, they will take a contract that works for the team. To hell with the MFL Players Association and how they will go after a player if he takes a below market level contract to be with the team he wants to be with. This “I gotta get paid” mentality with pro sports figures has just gotten way out of control now.
That’s more about top of the market guys, because a high tide raises all ships. The NFLPA won’t care if Thielen takes a Randall Cobb deal.
And agreed about Osborn, but regardless of what happens with Thielen, they might as well take a shot on a receiver at some point in the draft.
I see your point about Osborn, as he still has to prove that he can handle that role, but I believe that he has earned that opportunity. I’ve seen some occasional mistakes from him, mostly in easy drops or being in the wrong place, but Osborn has also made some very timely effort plays on third down or in long yardage spots that were very impressive. I think that he has at least earned the chance to take on that role.
Theilans a #3 wr right now. Hockensons gonna take the most reps now behind JJ.
Him thinking he deserves more of the looks is flippin ridiculous.
If he will take a MASSIVE cut , then bring him back as he is a fan favorite. But holding on to older talent just cuz they are fan fav’s is how they got so far behind on the cap. He cannot get even half the $$ he was looking at and neither can Harrison Smith on the defense…..they either take 50% cuts or are gone. AS it is Cooks probably gone as well.
Interesting…..that #3 guy named Theilan was targeted 107 times last year and hauled in 70 for 10.2 avg……..tell you what….Not only the Giants, but most top tier teams would take him in a heartbeat and massively improve their wide receivers immediately……Come on Joe Schoen make it happen!
How was he targeted after Hockenson got here…..drastically less it seemed. Hockensons prime….Adams fading. 90% of receivers start slipping at that age.
And I forgot to mention his half a yard or 1 and a half he got after each catch. YAC yards almost hardly ever.
Obviously Hock is viewed by you as the best of the best…..you do remember that Detroit, who is desperate for offensive help did cut this savior of yours right?
Hands of stone. Too many drops.
Detroit’s offense was great last year… Lions didn’t cut Hock, they traded him.
Thielen is a great route runner with great hands.
Those qualities make quarterbacks look good.
It would be interesting to know what made up the 37 “misses” last year. How many were:
Pass break-ups by the defense?
Poor throws by the quarterback?
Shame to see him have to go elsewhere.
Maybe a renegotiation to lower the cap hit could be managed, especially if it means that Adam could continue to play as a compliment to Jefferson.
If released, he wouldn’t have problem latching on with another team looking for a 3rd wr for any offense
Incentive based. With an obvious #1 receiver and arguably top tier TE, you’re gonna have to top shelf ball out to break 1000 yards and a dozen TD’s and not be injured on top of that. Sounds more like a good draft pick than a going to be 33 oft injured player. And that’s what they need. Is it worth the $ and roster spot to hope? I guess that’s the big question but I do not think so.
It has been reported in MN that Thielen is willing to re-work his contract to stay with the Vikings and finish his career out with his home state team.
Guess not
You got that right!
Wish they would explain his contract better. He is due for almost 13.5mm in salary this year. But he counts over 19mm against the cap but even he is cut post June 1st the team still takes a 7mm cap hit and then they have to pay another WR. So take a pay cut? Like split the difference? Pay him 10mm instead of 13mm that’s not a huge pay cut. The thing Vikings need is to rework the contract to spread the cap hit then cut him next year. Anyhow they should keep him cause is a valuable Vet on a team winning now. They got screwed by not being able to cut cook
Go back to Gene Washington. He wanted to be paid and got traded for his effort just like a couple other Vikings of that era.
Minnesota fans who didn’t bail in 1976 are suckers.
It’s a shame to see him leaving the Vikings, because it’s cool that he really hasn’t played anywhere in his life other than Minnesota. But financially, you can’t really blame the Vikings.
A reunion with Stefanski in Cleveland would make a ton of sense though.
Not sure why GMs are not forward thinking enough to make some player-for-player trades with guys like this. It’s not like they can’t project where their cap will be in the next couple of years. I’ll bet some team would take Theilen and his contract on in exchange for a spare part or two off their own roster.
They lost that lovin’ Thielen.