Adam Thielen - Pro Football Rumors

Injury Updates: Brissett, Conner, Thielen

November 3rd, 2019 at 9:38pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Colts have been having a surprisingly strong season after Andrew Luck retired, but everyone in Indy was left holding their breath when Jacoby Brissett went down with a knee injury. After the game, head coach Frank Reich said it was a sprain that was “MCL-ish.” Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like Brissett tore anything. Quarterbacks can usually play through MCL sprains, so it doesn’t sound like Brissett will be on the shelf too long. Brian Hoyer filled in and had the Colts in position to win the game late, but Adam Vinatieri missed a 43-yard kick with a minute to go.

Here are more injury updates from around the league:

Steelers rookie running back Benny Snell had surgery to trim his meniscus recently and will be sidelined for 2-3 weeks, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). Snell was a fourth-round pick back in April. Speaking of Pittsburgh’s backfield, starter James Conner didn’t suit up against the Colts today, and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets that he’s in danger of missing next week’s game against the Rams. For now, Jaylen Samuels will continue to gobble up most of the snaps.
Standout rookie UDFA Preston Williams suffered a knee injury, casting a damper on the Dolphins’ first win of the season. Despite going undrafted Williams has become a key player for Miami, starting all of their games thus far. The injury is a “sprained knee and the hope is that it’s not more serious,” tweets Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. We should know more about the severity soon. Williams had five catches for 72 yards and two touchdowns in the win over the Jets before going down.
Vikings receiver Adam Thielen returned after a one-game absence due to a hamstring injury, and quickly re-aggravated it. He didn’t return to Minnesota’s loss to Kansas City, and while there’s no word yet on the severity, hamstring issues can linger. They’ll likely be more cautious about rushing their star receiver back this time.

Vikings WR Adam Thielen Ruled Out

October 23rd, 2019 at 3:23pm CST by Marc Delucchi

As expected, the Vikings have officially ruled wide receiver Adam Thielen out for Thursday Night’s matchup against Washington, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com. Thielen pulled his hamstring in the Vikings win against the Lions on Sunday.

On the heels of their victory against Detroit, Minnesota stands at 5-2 and in prime of NFC playoff position. Quarterback Kirk Cousins has had an erratic season thus far, but over the past few weeks has been fantastic. He aims to build upon that success next week, but it will have to come without his best best receiver.

Thielen currently leads the league in receiving touchdowns with six and has accrued nearly 400 receiving yards as well. This success is nothing new for Thielen, who has been one of the league’s best wideouts over the past two seasons. While things will obviously be difficult, Stefon Diggs, the team’s number two receiver, would be the number one option on a number of teams around the league.

Furthermore, previous reports suggested the team is hopeful that Thielen will be able to return relatively quickly. It definitely helps their cause that their next opponent, Washington, has been one of the worst teams in the league.

Adam Thielen To Miss Time?

October 21st, 2019 at 12:00pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Vikings picked up another big win Sunday, toppling the Lions in Detroit and moving to 5-2 on the year. It wasn’t all positive for Minnesota however, as they picked up a key injury.

Star receiver Adam Thielen left the game with a pulled hamstring injury and was unable to return. But, on Monday afternoon, he received good news on that front: He’s unlikely to face the Redskins on Thursday night, but there’s optimism that he won’t miss much time, as NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. That’s a step up from Sunday night’s word – the team was concerned that he’s would be not “day to day, but week to week,” a source told Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com (Twitter link).

Hamstrings can be tricky, so the Vikes hope they will not be without their top option for multiple games. Florio also adds that Thielen will have an MRI tomorrow to determine the severity. The offense started the year slowly as the Vikings limped to a 2-2 record, with Thielen publicly calling out quarterback Kirk Cousins and Cousins apologizing. Ever since then the unit has been on fire, and a large part of that is due to Thielen’s play.

It sounds like Thielen will rest up instead of suiting up on a short week. After that, he’ll try to build on what he’s been doing lately. Over the last three games, Thielen has four touchdowns to his credit.

Vikings, Adam Thielen Agree To Extension

April 12th, 2019 at 4:06pm CST by Rory Parks

The Vikings and star wideout Adam Thielen have agreed to a four-year, $64MM extension with a maximum value of $73MM, per Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune. He will earn $35MM in guaranteed money. We heard last month that the two sides were working on a new deal, and they were able to hammer out an agreement that pays Thielen at a rate commensurate with his abilities and recent production.

Thielen had two years and $13.5MM remaining on his present contract, so as Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network tweets, it appears as if he is now under team control for the next six seasons at a $77.5MM base value. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Thielen will receive $35MM in guaranteed money.

Of course, extensions can be difficult to come by when a player has more than one year remaining on his contract, but Thielen is not just any player. An undrafted Division II product, Thielen has put together back-to-back 1,200-plus-yard seasons, going for 1,373 and a career-high nine touchdown receptions in 2018. He watched teammate Stefon Diggs sign a five-year, $72MM extension with $40MM guaranteed last summer, and now he has leapfrogged Diggs in terms of average annual value (he is now the sixth-highest paid WR in the league in that regard).

Thielen, who will turn 29 in August, has earned Pro Bowl nods in each of the last two seasons, and he figures to be a critical part of the team’s fortunes going forward. He was due to carry an $8.1MM cap hit this season, but that will likely be reduced as a result of the extension.

His deal continues the Vikings’ trend of locking up core players before they can taste free agency. The team now has a foundation of Thielen, Diggs, Danielle Hunter, Linval Joseph, Anthony Barr, Eric Kendricks, Harrison Smith, Riley Reiff, Shamar Stephen, and Mike Hughes under contract through at least 2021 (hat tip to ESPN’s Field Yates on Twitter).

Thielen will address the media tomorrow.

Vikings, Adam Thielen Discussing Extension

March 8th, 2019 at 3:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

Attempting to correct an imbalance that has developed over the past two years, the Vikings and wide receiver Adam Thielen are discussing a possible extension, according to Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press (on Twitter).

At this juncture, however, sources tell Tomasson that it’s impossible to say whether something will be ironed out soon. Thielen is criminally underpaid, but extensions tend to be tricky when players have two years left on their deal.

In 2017, Thielen signed what turned out to be an incredibly team-friendly deal to stay in Minnesota. That contract pays him less than $5MM on average, though the Pro Bowl wideout will earn just more than $5MM in base salaries the next two seasons. However, Minnesota then rewarded No. 2 receiver Stefon Diggs a five-year, $72MM extension with $40MM guaranteed, creating a strange situation among their wideout group.

An undrafted Division II product, Thielen has put together back-to-back 1,200-plus-yard seasons, going for 1,373 and a career-high nine touchdown receptions in 2018. Minnesota has inked plenty of homegrown veterans to extensions in recent years and has just $5MM in cap space left. So while the Vikings might not be too active in free agency, it appears they are trying to do right by their 28-year-old pass-catcher success story.

Although Thielen has expressed a desire for a new deal, he is not believed to be a threat to hold out. So perhaps the parties can work together this offseason to correct this imbalance.

Vikings’ Adam Thielen Wants New Deal

February 20th, 2019 at 3:33pm CST by Zachary Links

Adam Thielen is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. He’s also among the most underpaid players in the league. Thielen’s agent, Blake Baratz, says he’s optimistic about getting an extension hammered out this offseason, but added that his client will not engage in a holdout.

“Adam’s not that type of person,” Baratz told SKOR (via ESPN’s Courtney Cronin). “I would never condone a player to hold out or be disruptive if it wasn’t for a very valid reason, and [what’s not] a valid reason, to me, is both sides working in good faith to come to a conclusion that makes sense for everybody.”

Without a holdout, it’s hard to see the Vikings caving. Thielen’s under-market extension has him under contract for just $5.85MM in base salary this season and $6.5MM in 2020. Often times, teams elect to hold off on extension talks until the final season, meaning that the 28-year-old (29 in August) may have to play out one more season at a bargain rate before pushing for a new deal.

“This team has a lot of really good things in place for it, and I know they want to take care of Adam and I know they want Adam there and I know they want to reward Adam,” Baratz said.

Thielen followed up his 91/1,276/4 line in 2017 with a 113/1,373/9 stat line in 2018. The Vikings disappointed on the whole in 2018, but Theilen had an exceptional year en route to his second-straight Pro Bowl appearance.

Notable 2019 Pro Bowl Incentives/Escalators

December 19th, 2018 at 8:42pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The NFL announced the 2018 Pro Bowl rosters earlier on Wednesday, and aside from determining which players will spend a week in Orlando early next year, the rosters also dictate several important bonuses and/or contract escalators for individual players. Former NFL agent and current CBSSports.com contributor Joel Corry has rounded up the notable incentives earned, and we’ll pass those along below. As Corry notes (Twitter link), only first ballot Pro Bowlers who actually participate in the game (unless injured or playing in the Super Bowl) are in bonuses, which are typically paid out by the end of March.

Here are the notable Pro Bowl bonuses and escalators that were netted last evening (all links to Corry’s Twitter):

Bonuses

Ravens S Eric Weddle, $1MM; requires Baltimore in playoffs (link): For the second consecutive season, Weddle’s bonus will ride on the ability of the Ravens to earn a postseason berth. Baltimore is one of several teams in the mix for the AFC’s No. 6 seed, but FiveThirtyEight gives the club only a 41% chance of actually making the playoffs. Weddle, who will be entering his age-34 campaign in 2019, could potentially retire or be released before next season starts.
Chargers C Mike Pouncey, $500K (link): Pouncey somewhat surprisingly earned a Pro Bowl nod alongside his brother, Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey. Mike Pouncey hasn’t been a terrible player by any means, but Raiders center Rodney Hudson has undoubtedly been better. Signed to a two-year contract this offeason, Pouncey is due a $6MM base salary and a $1.5MM roster bonus in 2019.
Vikings WR Adam Thielen, $500K (link): Thielen, notably, signed arguably the most team-friendly contract in the NFL in March 2017, a three-year deal that’s worth less than $20MM. By picking up a half-million dollar Pro Bowl bonus, Thielen will collect a bit more cash, but he’s still vastly underpaid. Second in the league in receptions, Thielen will count just $11.5MM total on the Vikings’ salary cap over the next two years.
Eagles TE Zach Ertz, $100K (link): Ertz will also see his base salaries increase by $250K in each of the 2019, 2020, and 2021 campaigns. He’s already surpassed career-highs in both receptions and yardage, and could top his career-high of eight touchdowns with a strong showing down the stretch.

Escalators

Chiefs T Eric Fisher, $500K base salary increase in 2019 (link): While Fisher hasn’t necessarily lived up to his status as a former No. 1 overall pick, he has played nearly every offensive snap for the Chiefs over the past six years while offering respectable play. He’s signed through 2021 as part of a four-year, $48MM extension he inked in 2016. Kansas City’s best tackle — Mitchell Schwartz, who mans the right side — has somehow been named second-team All-Pro for three consecutive years without ever being given a Pro Bowl nod.
Lions CB Darius Slay, $550K base salary increase in 2019 (link): Slay needed to reach two of three thresholds in order to earn his escalator. While he hasn’t yet met a five interception requirement, he was named to the Pro Bowl and has played on at least 80% of the Lions’ defensive snaps.
Packers WR Davante Adams, $250K base salary increase in 2019 (link): While he’s not quite at Thielen-level in terms of selling himself short, Adams arguably signed his extension with the Packers well before he needed to. Adams took a four-year, $58MM deal in December 2017, just months before he was scheduled to hit the open market. He’s vaunted to true No. 1 wideout status this year, but he’s just the NFL’s ninth-highest-paid wideout in terms of annual average.
Eagles G Brandon Brooks, $250K base salary increase in 2019-2020 (link): Brooks, 29, is quietly one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL, and Pro Football Focus currently grades him as the No. 5 guard in the league. He’s signed through the 2020 season, although his contract does contain two void years in 2021-22 that are in place only for salary cap purposes.

North Rumors: Bears, Nagy, Ravens, Vikings

November 28th, 2018 at 9:48pm CST by Dallas Robinson

It’s still unclear if Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky will be available to face the Giants on Sunday, but Chicago is confident Trubisky’s shoulder injury won’t turn into a long-term issue, as Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com tweets. Trubisky missed the Bears’ Thanksgiving Day matchup against the Lions, but Chicago was still able to manage a victory with backup Chase Daniel under center. The Bears have a 98% chance of earning a postseason berth and an 83% chance to win the NFC North, so they may not want to risk Trubisky’s health in what could be another easy win against New York. Trubisky did practice on Wednesday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), although it was in a limited fashion.

Here’s more from the NFL’s two North divisions:

While Trubisky might be healthy enough to play on Sunday, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco almost certainly won’t be ready for Week 13. Flacco, who is still dealing with a hip issue that has cost him two games, didn’t practice on Wednesday and appears likely to sit out Sunday, per Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com (Twitter link). First-round rookie Lamar Jackson, who has led Baltimore to two victories in his first two starts, figures to be under center again when the Ravens take on the Falcons. Meanwhile, offensive lineman James Hurst returned to practice on Wednesday after being sidelined since mid-October, reports Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Matt Nagy will lead the Bears against the Giants on Sunday, but New York never showed any interest in hiring him as a head coach during the offseason, as he told reporters — including Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com (Twitter link) — on Wednesday. That’s in line with PFR’s 2018 Head Coaching Search Tracker, which shows Nagy only interviewed with the Colts and Bears. The Giants, meanwhile, met with Josh McDaniels, Matt Patricia, Steve Wilks, Eric Studesville, and Steve Spagnuolo before hiring Pat Shurmur. Nagy, for his part, could take home Coach of the Year depending on how Chicago’s season ends.
Speaking of current Bears coaches, Chicago is worried it could lose defensive coordinator Vic Fangio this offseason, as Jay Glazer of The Athletic writes. Fangio has interviewed for two head positions in the past, but both have been with clubs that already employed him (Bears in 2018, 49ers in 2015). While he didn’t land either of those gigs, Fangio could be in line to move into a head coaching role after that’s currently ranked first in DVOA by a relatively wide margin. As Glazer writes, however, Fangio’s age (60) could work against him as many clubs are searching for younger coaches.
By going over the 100-catch mark on Sunday, Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen triggered an escalator in his contract, tweets Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Thielen, who inked an incredibly team-friendly extension last spring, will now see his 2019 base salary increase from $3.85MM to $5.85MM. If he tops 90 receptions in 2019, Thielen will boost his 2020 salary from $5.35MM to $7.35MM.

NFC Notes: D. Johnson, D. Williams, Thielen

September 9th, 2018 at 12:16pm CST by Rory Parks

Although it was not expected that the two sides would be able to come to terms before the start of the season, the Cardinals and David Johnson agreed to a three-year extension yesterday that will keep Johnson in the desert through 2021. Per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the key to getting the deal done was the team’s agreement to give Johnson a short-term extension that gives him a chance to hit free agency again at a time when a new CBA will be in place and when owners’ income streams will be at an all-time high thanks to renewed TV deals and gambling revenue.

As Week 1 gets underway in earnest, let’s take a look at more news from around the NFC:

Former NFL agent Joel Corry is less optimistic about Johnson’s chances to cash in a second time. Although he thinks the Cardinals‘ tailback did well for himself with his new deal, he points out (via Twitter) that Johnson will be 30 by the time he is eligible for unrestricted free agency again, so he will need to defy conventional wisdom concerning RBs to get another big contract.
Just last month, it appeared as though the Panthers would have to place starting right tackle Daryl Williams on IR, but Carolina finally got some good news with respect to its O-line. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Williams has a good chance to start the team’s opener against the Cowboys this afternoon, and that the structural damage to his injured knee is minimal. That is good news for Williams as well, as he is eligible for unrestricted free agency at the end of the year.
Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen has a number of incentives that could boost his $4.85MM 2018 salary, but even if he hits all of those incentives, Thielen will still be significantly underpaid relative to the WR market. Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune details the incentives and suggests that, if Thielen performs in 2018 has he did in 2017, his reps could approach Minnesota about redoing his current contract, which runs through 2020.
Eagles QB Carson Wentz could return to action in Week 3.
Cowboys DE Randy Gregory could be suspended yet again after suffering a relapse.

Vikings’ Adam Thielen Has Back Fractures

January 21st, 2018 at 2:53pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Although he’s expected to play against the Eagles in tonight’s NFC Championship Game, Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen had been listed as questionable throughout the week due to a back injury. That ailment is reportedly more serious than originally thought, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).

Thielen is dealing with slight fractures in his lower back which are — unsurprisingly — “extremely” painful, per Rapoport. The injury was suffered on a hit by Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore in last week’s Divisional Round contest. While pain tolerance could seemingly be an issue for Thielen during today’s game, he’s expected to manage the discomfort in order to play.

One of the more notable receiver breakout stories in recent memory, Thielen played in all 16 of Minnesota’s regular-season games and suited up for the Vikings’ thrilling walk-off win last Sunday. The 27-year-old Division II product landed on the NFC Pro Bowl roster after a 91-reception, 1,276-yard, four-touchdown slate. He missed practice on Wednesday and went through a limited session Thursday.