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When the 2020 season quickly turned hostile to the Minnesota Vikings, plenty of business rumors circulated, affecting nearly every player on the roster – even those considered untouchable.
Kirk Cousins, Harrison Smith and Danielle Hunter all graced hearsay-infused trade negotiations. Unsurprisingly, the rumors did not materialize, as everyone not named Yannick Ngakoue stayed behind. Ngakoue – who played for the Vikings for seven weeks – was dispatched to the Baltimore Ravens for a 3rd round draft pick.
Adam Thielen was also whispered during the hubbub of the fire sale. At 30, Thielen is approaching the age where he begins a subtle decline in abilities or emulates Larry Fitzgerald and plays forever.
A performance-related drop wasn’t on the cards for Thielen in 2020. Alongside rookie Justin Jefferson, Thielen captured nearly 1,000 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns, a career-high. If Thielen had been targeted like DeAndre Hopkins or Stefon Diggs, he would have caught north of 20 touchdowns – which is close to Randy Moss’ NFL record (23) of 2007.
But the 2020 Vikings offseason will include some elements of change. The team already has new offensive, special and defensive coordinators. Tough decisions about the future of Kyle Rudolph, Anthony Harris and Riley Reiff are looming.
And Thielen? Well, it probably escapes any reverse contracting business, and here’s why.
35th best NFL player for 2020
Adam Thielen is no longer underrated or underestimated. It assaulted him until around 2018, but now he’s seen nationally as a formidable and reliable pass-catcher.
Pro Football Focus has decided Thielen is the 35th best player in the league in 2020. 1,696 active players play in games on an NFL Sunday, which makes Thielen’s ranking a big deal.
On Thielen, PFF’s Sam Monson commented:
“With Justin Jefferson hosting the kind of season he’s had as a rookie in Minnesota, it’s easy to forget Adam Thielen or miss the fact that he has received 14 touchdowns this season. Thielen caught just under 70% of the passes thrown his way and generated a 120.5 score for Kirk Cousins on his targets. He remains one of the best road racers in the game and is capable of spectacular point-of-capture games as well. Thielen may not have had a year of receiving or passing yards, but he was exceptional on the chances he got.
Congratulations to the former Minnesota State student. It’s a respect like this that deems the Vikings unlikely to trade Thielen or fundamentally restructure his contract. Simply put – Thielen is rated the sixth best wide receiver in the NFL by PFF. Why on earth would Minnesota want to take this gamer caliber out of its orbit? Especially in a league that tends to be happier every season.
The 11th highest-paid WR in the league
Equal pay for equal work: that’s Adam Thielen described in a few words. His yardage production declined a bit as Justin Jefferson came out fiercely last season. Minnesota doesn’t kick off football as much as other franchises, so Jefferson and Thielen knocked down the targets. And Jefferson got a little more attention.
Not in the red zone, however. Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill were the only two wide receivers to score more touchdowns than Thielen in 2020. At 30, Thielen’s scoring talent is increasing – which bodes very well for the rest of his career. If he transforms into a heavy touchdown player every year, well, he can play until his late 30s.
Thielen developed his scoring prowess in 2018, and that wasn’t an outlier. Since 2018, he has scored 29 touchdowns while missing 15% of games. Behind Adams and Hill, Thielen ranks third to receive TDs over the past three seasons (when Kirk Cousins arrived in Minneapolis).
The seven-year Vikings veteran is the 11th highest-paid in the entire league by average annual salary ($ 16.2 million). It would be hard to find a fairer salary ranking for Thielen. He’s roughly in the rough stage of the 10th or 11th best failure in the NFL and has therefore compensated accordingly. As simple as that.
A cute guy who stays put
Thielen’s contract and employment will remain as is because he deserves it. Statistical results and consistency on the ground confirm that its monetary value is fair.
Plus, he’s a fan favorite – without a shadow of a doubt. Can you imagine Thielen wearing a helmet that doesn’t have white horns? Take a minute to imagine this. It’s foreign.
Several areas of contract changes will be assessed across the list over the coming months. Based on value and production, Thielen is expected to enter 2021 with his contract intact.
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