Vikings, Adam Thielen 'Working Through Some Stuff' With WR's Contract
Will Adam Thielen be back with the Vikings in 2023? The two-time Pro Bowler and Minnesota native is an all-time underdog story who will go into the franchise's Ring of Honor someday, but his age, declining production, and contract status create some uncertainty around his future.
Thielen turns 33 in August. He's no longer the player he was during his Pro Bowl seasons of 2017 and '18, when he recorded back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns. Last season, Thielen played all 17 games and caught 70 passes for 716 yards and six touchdowns. He has become much more of a complementary possession receiver alongside Justin Jefferson, with just one 100-yard outing in his last 35 games.
Notably, Thielen has a contract that doesn't match that production. His cap hit in 2023 is just shy of $20 million, which ranks second on the Vikings and 13th among all receivers. Minnesota can't trade or cut him this offseason without taking on a significant dead cap charge (roughly $13.5 million), but it makes sense that they would try to work something out with Thielen's camp to lower that cap hit.
"We’re working through some stuff because I got a big cap hit and my contract fully guarantees on (March 17th)," Thielen said on The Pat McAfee Show. "They’re gonna try to do something, so we’ll see. We’re in the middle (of those conversations)."
Thielen seems like the kind of player who may be open to taking a pay cut to remain with the Vikings. He's from Minnesota, grew up a Vikings fan, went to college in the state, and has spent his entire ten-year NFL career with the franchise. He wants to win a Super Bowl with this team, and taking a pay cut could be a small step to help make that happen.
But at the same time, he has pride in his abilities and wants to show that he still has gas left in the tank.
"I feel great," Thielen said on ESPN's First Take. "I want to be able to help a team and show them that I can play at a high level to help them win football games. Will that be in Minnesota? I don’t know. I hope so. I hope to retire a Minnesota Viking. This is also a business. I also, again, want my opportunity to show that I can play at a high level, so we’ll see what happens."
Thielen can still bring plenty of value to an NFL offense. He has great hands, he can move the chains at the short and intermediate levels, and he's quite the weapon in the red zone because of his experience and his knowledge of spacing and leverage. Since 2020, only Davante Adams, Mike Evans, Travis Kelce, and Tyreek Hill have more receiving touchdowns than Thielen's 30, although only 6 of those came last season.
With that said, a $20 million cap hit is quite steep for an aging possession receiver and red zone weapon. Thielen has two more years on his current contract — his cap hit goes up to $21.6 million in 2024.
As such, it's not surprising that the Vikings and Thielen's camp are discussing possibilities for reworking his deal. We'll see what ends up happening.
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