Should the Minnesota Vikings move on from Adam Thielen?
Adam Thielen will be making $12-14 million until 2025, but should the Minnesota Vikings consider trading the hometown star?
I love Thielen, and I want to make that very clear. I graduated from Minnesota State University, Mankato, and worked at the school paper as the Sports Editor. I have a forever connection and appreciation for the former MSU star, but it’s something that needs to be discussed.
Thielen will be 32 before the start of next season, and he won’t be a free agent until 2025. By that point, he’ll be 35, and it’s hard to see the Vikings re-signing him at that age.
He’s still playing at a high level, but we’re slowly seeing the decline. In 2017 and 2018, Thielen started in all 16 games. However, since 2019, he’s had his fair share of injuries and is yet to play a full season. In 2020, he played in 15 games but has missed 11 over the last three years.
That’s almost a full season.
| Game | Game | Rece | Rece | Rece | Rece | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Age | G | GS | Rec | Yds | Y/R | TD |
| 2014 | 24 | 16 | 2 | 8 | 137 | 17.1 | 1 |
| 2015 | 25 | 16 | 2 | 12 | 144 | 12.0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 26 | 16 | 10 | 69 | 967 | 14.0 | 5 |
| 2017* | 27 | 16 | 16 | 91 | 1276 | 14.0 | 4 |
| 2018* | 28 | 16 | 16 | 113 | 1373 | 12.2 | 9 |
| 2019 | 29 | 10 | 10 | 30 | 418 | 13.9 | 6 |
| 2020 | 30 | 15 | 15 | 74 | 925 | 12.5 | 14 |
| 2021 | 31 | 13 | 13 | 67 | 726 | 10.8 | 10 |
| Care | Care | 118 | 84 | 464 | 5966 | 12.9 | 49 |
After two massive seasons in 2018 and 19, Thielen hasn’t been as productive. Some of that is because of Justin Jefferson and Stefon Diggs, but his receiving yards have practically been cut in half.
The Vikings have turned Thielen into one of the best red zone targets in the NFL. Despite playing in 13 games, he still finished tied for sixth in receiving touchdowns. In 2020, he finished third.
With a new general manager and soon-to-be new coaching staff, Minnesota may look to trade Thielen. That depends on how they view this roster and if they want to rebuild.
Jefferson may struggle a bit without Thielen, but he’s shown us that he’ll be just fine. If they move on from Thielen, Minnesota will need to find a reliable second option. K.J. Osborn is a good receiver, but he’s better suited as a No. 3.
A lot rides on the new coaching staff and management. If they believe a rebuild is in order, then you might as well rip off the band-aid now. However, with Kirk Cousins still on the books for at least one more year, I think it may be best to run it back one more time.
