‘Real Possibility’ Vikings & Adam Thielen Part Ways

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, there’s a “real possibility” that the Vikings and Adam Thielen will part ways in the coming days.

Schefter says the Vikings and Theilen’s camp will discuss the situation in the coming days, but his time in Minnesota could be coming to an end.

Last month, Thielen said in an interview on The Pat McAfee Show that he and the team are “working through some stuff” related to his cap hit this coming season, per Kevin Seifert.

Thielen is set to have the second-highest cap hit on the team for next season as things stand right now, and his $11.8 million base salary for this upcoming season becomes guaranteed in mid-March. 

The Vikings’ options with Thielen to lower his cap hit include a restructure, but given he turns 33 this year they might want to avoid that. Cutting or trading Thielen would save about $6.5 million, per Over The Cap, and they could also try to negotiate a pay cut with him. 

Thielen, 32, wound up signing on with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent out of Minnesota State-Mankato back in 2013. He spent his rookie season on the Vikings’ practice squad before returning to the team on a future/reserve contract the following year.

Minnesota brought Thielen back for the 2015 season on a one-year exclusive rights deal before signing him to a four-year, $19.240 million contract that included $11 million guaranteed in 2017. 

Thielen was set to make base salaries of $5.85 million and $5.35 million before agreeing to a four-year extension in 2019 worth as much as $73 million.

In 2022, Thielen appeared in all 17 games for the Vikings and caught 70 passes for 716 yards receiving and six touchdowns.