HEADLINES

Adam Thielen

Vikings Extend QB Kirk Cousins Through 2023

March 13th, 2022 at 8:45pm CST by Ely Allen

New Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell wanted a chance to build an offense around quarterback Kirk Cousins. Well, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, he will get his chance as the Vikings will sign Cousins to a one-year, $35MM extension that will keep him in Minnesota through the 2023 NFL season. 

The Vikings reportedly had been receiving calls on Cousins, but the new coaching staff and general manager are declaring their commitment to the veteran quarterback and gaining some much needed cap space in the process.

Cousins’ scheduled cap hit for 2022 was set to be the largest in NFL history at $45MM. The extension reduces his 2022 cap number to $31.42MM, granting Minnesota a little over $13.5MM in cap space. In addition, Cousins will see a raise, making $40MM this season and $30MM in 2023. The deal includes phantom, voidable years in 2024 & 2025 that allow them to reduce the cap hits in ’22 and ’23.

Say what you will about Cousins pay and performance, but after receiving two consecutive franchise tags in Washington, a three-year fully-guaranteed contract to join the Vikings, and two fully-guaranteed extensions to stay in Minnesota, Cousins has secured eight-straight seasons of guaranteed contracts.

There are expectations for Cousins to thrive under O’Connell. With offensive weapons like running backs Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison, wide receivers Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, and K.J. Osborn, and tight end Irv Smith Jr. all returning, the familiarity of personnel should make up for the new playbook. The bookends of the offensive line seem set with Christian Darrisaw showing promise after a delayed debut and Brian O’Neill making the Pro Bowl last year. There are some questions to be answered on the interior of the line, but the pieces, for the most part, are there.

The onus will now be on the coaching staff and front office to make offseason improvements to a defense that struggled mightily last year. The Vikings defense allowed the third-most yards in the league and the ninth-most points. If the new leaders in Minnesota can turn around that unit, look for Minnesota to make a play for a playoff spot and potentially even challenge the perennial NFC North power from Green Bay for the division.

Latest On Vikings’ Cap Situation

March 9th, 2022 at 9:46pm CST by Ben Levine

The Vikings are looking to reset their cap, and their quarterback could end up being a casualty. According to Jason La Canfora (via Twitter), the Vikings are “eager to move big contracts,” and it wouldn’t be a surprise if they end up moving on from Kirk Cousins.

With the Vikings changing regimes, the status of their four-year starting quarterback has understandably come up. Cousins carries the NFL’s third-highest 2022 cap hit at $45MM, and he’s going into a contract year. If the organization is truly looking to reset their books, it’d make sense to move on from the veteran QB. It would help the Vikings a bit if Cousins agreed to another extension, which would allow the team to reduce his 2022 cap hit. However, Cousins’ camp hasn’t been receptive to that idea.

La Canfora also mentions wideout Adam Thielen, linebacker Eric Kendricks, defensive tackle Michael Pierce, and even running back Dalvin Cook as sizable cap hits that the organization could look to move on from. These four players and Cousins represent five of the team’s seven highest cap hits, joining defensive end Danielle Hunter and safety Harrison Smith.

The Vikings entered the offseason with one of the worst cap situations in the NFL, so it’s not surprising that the team is looking to move around some money. Per OverTheCap.com, the Vikings are currently $15MM over the cap, so moves are certainly coming.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/29/21

December 29th, 2021 at 5:56pm CST by Adam La Rose

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Designated for return: OG Xavier Su’a-Filo

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Vikings’ Adam Thielen Undergoes Surgery

December 29th, 2021 at 11:48am CST by Sam Robinson

After reinjuring his ankle during the Vikings’ Week 16 game against the Rams, Adam Thielen will be shut down. The veteran wide receiver underwent surgery, Chad Graff of The Athletic reports.

This operation will almost certainly knock Thielen out for the remainder of the season. A roughly one-month recovery timetable comes with this procedure, per Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). Barring a lengthy playoff run, the 31-year-old wideout will resurface next season. The Vikings placed Thielen on IR, knocking him out for at least three games.

Thielen suffered a high ankle sprain earlier this month. While he attempted to return, he left Sunday’s game in considerable pain. That development resulted in a quick decision on a surgical procedure.

Despite Justin Jefferson swiftly becoming one of the NFL’s best receivers, Thielen still leads the Vikings with 10 touchdown catches. The former UDFA has 67 receptions for 726 yards. Thielen played 15 games last season but missed six in 2019 due to injury. The $16.2MM-per-year extension he signed in 2019 runs through 2024.

The Vikings’ loss to the Rams dropped them below .500, at 7-8, and Thielen’s absence will make notching a sweep against the Packers more difficult. Ahead of the Vikes’ trip to Green Bay, FiveThirtyEight.com gives them a 13% chance to make the playoffs. Minnesota will turn to second-year target K.J. Osborn (46 receptions, 584 yards, five TDs) in Thielen’s place alongside Jefferson.

Vikings Activate Adam Thielen From Reserve/COVID-19 List

December 2nd, 2020 at 5:27pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Vikings will have their starting receiver duo back in action this week. They activated Adam Thielen off their reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday.

Thielen landed on the coronavirus list Nov. 23, and despite no reports indicating the veteran target contracted the virus, the Vikings were without their two-time Pro Bowl pass catcher against the Panthers. But Thielen is set to return to help the Vikes against the Jaguars.

Prior to his stay on the virus list, Thielen had done well to rebound from an injury-marred 2019. After missing the better part of seven games last season, Thielen caught 49 passes for 646 yards and a career-high 11 touchdowns through 10 games. Those 11 TDs led the NFL going into Week 12; Tyreek Hill‘s surge in Tampa now has the Chiefs deep threat pacing the league with 13 touchdown grabs.

Backups Chad Beebe and Bisi Johnson filled in well against Carolina, combining for 14 receptions in the one-point win. But the Vikings have structured their passing attack around the Thielen-Justin Jefferson duo, as they did around their Thielen-Stefon Diggs tandem for years. Thielen, 30, signed a four-year, $64MM extension in 2019.

One game out of the NFC’s third wild-card spot, the 5-6 Vikings are trying to become the fourth team since the merger to start 1-5 and make the playoffs.

Adam Thielen Expected To Miss Week 12

November 27th, 2020 at 2:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

Adam Thielen remains on the Vikings’ reserve/COVID-19 list, and the NFL’s touchdown reception leader is not on track to be activated ahead of Minnesota’s next game.

The Vikings are expected to be without Thielen on Sunday, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter). Given the timing of Thielen landing on the Vikes’ coronavirus list (Monday), the veteran wide receiver would have been able to return Sunday — provided he continued to test negative. But this has been one of the vaguer virus situations to emerge.

No Thielen positive coronavirus test has been reported, but should he miss Sunday, he will have been delayed longer than many who have landed on the virus list. Several players have landed on the list early in the week only to be cleared for Sunday games. Thielen missing would obviously weaken the Vikings against the Panthers, though the team can rely on Justin Jefferson and All-Pro candidate Dalvin Cook.

Thielen has caught a career-high 11 touchdown passes, however, and has not missed a game this season. Prior to this COVID-19 issue, the 30-year-old wideout has used the season as a comeback effort of sorts. Thielen missed all or most of seven games last season due to a hamstring injury. The Vikings, though, were prepared to rely on their former tryout-camp find this year after trading Stefon Diggs to the Bills. As was the case last season, the team is thin at wideout beyond its starters. Sunday’s game is obviously critical for the 4-6 team’s last-ditch playoff hopes.

Vikings Place WR Adam Thielen On Reserve/COVID-19 List

November 23rd, 2020 at 7:05pm CST by Ben Levine

Following one of his best performances of the 2020 campaign, Vikings star wideout Adam Thielen has landed on the reserve/COVID-19 list (per an announcement from the organization).

The team didn’t provide any specific details on Thielen’s status, but we can assume the receiver either tested positive for COVID-19 or was within close contact of someone who did test positive.

The Vikings have recently placed six players on the COVID-19 list, but we know of only two players who definitively tested positive (linebacker Todd Davis and guard Dru Samia). ESPN’s Courtney Cronin observes that wide receivers coach Andrew Janocko wasn’t on the sideline for Sunday’s loss to the Cowboys, but there was no explanation for his absence.

The 30-year-old Thielen is having a bounce-back season, hauling in 49 catches for 646 yards and a league-leading 11 touchdowns (including two on Sunday). As Andrew Kramer of the Star Tribune writes, the “NFL requires a minimum five-day quarantine for high-risk close contacts and asymptomatic cases.” That means Thielen could be back in the lineup on Sunday against the Panthers.

Vikings Will Not Trade WR Adam Thielen

November 1st, 2020 at 10:36am CST by Rory Parks

There are a number of teams that would like to add a wide receiver in advance of Tuesday’s trade deadline, and Vikings wideout Adam Thielen would probably pique the interest of all of those clubs. However, as Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports, Minnesota has no intention of dealing its 30-year-old receiver (Twitter link).

The Vikes are 1-5 and have already sold off one major asset by trading Yannick Ngakoue. They are also willing to deal safety Anthony Harris. However, both Ngakoue and Harris are set to hit free agency at the end of the season, while Thielen is under club control through 2024.

And while Minnesota looks dead in the water this year, there is still enough talent on the roster — including Thielen — to suggest that a rebound in 2021 could be in the cards. If the club plans to retool rather than rebuild, having Thielen in the fold would go a long way towards a return to contention next year.

Thielen and the Vikings agreed to a lucrative four-year extension in April 2019, and though injuries limited him to 10 games last season, he is on track for about 85 catches and over 1,100 receiving yards in 2020. That would be a little off the pace he set in his 2017-18 Pro Bowl campaigns, but those are still respectable numbers, and his 13.0 yards-per-reception average is right in line with his best seasons. He is also currently leading the league with seven TD catches this year.

There’s always a chance the Vikings could be blown away by an offer, especially since Thielen’s salaries throughout his contract are fairly manageable and since it would be easy enough for a team to get out of that contract at any point after the 2020 season is over. It just doesn’t seem like that’s going to happen, and WR-needy teams like the Browns, Ravens, Patriots, and Packers, among others, will need to turn their attention elsewhere (not that Minnesota would ever trade Thielen to Green Bay anyway).

Trade Rumors: Giants, Ryan, Fuller

October 25th, 2020 at 11:07am CST by Rory Parks

After dealing Markus Golden to the Cardinals, it appears the 1-6 Giants have officially declared themselves sellers at this year’s trade deadline. Though GM Dave Gettleman may be reluctant to trade away veteran talent that could theoretically help Big Blue win a few games — and perhaps save Gettleman’s job in the process — players like Evan Engram, Kevin Zeitler, and Golden Tate could be available, as Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post writes (though Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says the club is unlikely to deal Engram).

2017 second-round DT Dalvin Tomlinson could also be on the move, per Dunleavy. Tomlinson is playing out the last year of his rookie contract, and while he has expressed interest in staying with the Giants long-term, there has been little progress in contract talks.

As we creep closer to the November 3 deadline, let’s round up a few more trade rumors from around the league:

Adam Thielen To Play Through Ankle Injury

January 11th, 2020 at 2:34pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite suffering an injury this week in practice, Adam Thielen will play against the 49ers. The Vikings have declared him active for their divisional-round game, but it sounds like the Pro Bowl wide receiver will play through some pain.

Thielen suffered a “deep laceration” near his ankle and heel area, Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk reports. The Vikings plan to numb the area, tape up the injury and hope their standout wideout can play through any discomfort. The 29-year-old receiver expressed confidence earlier Saturday he will be able to play through this malady (Instagram link).

This injury occurred early this week in practice, with Smith indicating a Vikings teammate’s cleat cut through Thielen’s shoe to cause the laceration — one that required four stitches. No Achilles damage occurred. But this continues an injury-marred season for Thielen, who saw his two-year Pro Bowl run halt.

The former rookie-tryout success story missed five full games with a hamstring injury but missed most of two more because of that malady. However, he came through with one of the biggest Vikings catches this century to cap a seven-reception, 129-yard performance in an overtime win over the Saints.

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