VikingsTerritory’s Purple Rumor Mill is a two-day chronicle each week. All the week’s rumors are lassoed and plopped in two spots — articles on Saturday and Sunday — for review. Today is the December 25th edition.
Remember — rumors are rumors. What you read on weekends in these pieces is what the world is talking about pertaining to the Vikings, not necessarily items that will come to fruition.
This is a controversy coming to Vikings-themed water-cooler office chats near you. The Vikings owe Thielen about $20 million in 2023 but have an opt-out option after the 2022 season, with a $16.5 million dead cap penalty. It is unlikely that general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will put that cap hit on the books.
So, yes, something must be done — perhaps approaching Thielen for an honest-to-goodness paycut. It could happen. Otherwise, the Vikings will employ a handsome-paid WR3 as Thielen’s days as a WR2 are suddenly kaput. He isn’t as productive as years from 2016 to 2021. This is what happens to players around this age, especially wide receivers.
Thielen could also retire, so watch for that.
The Packers must beat the Vikings on New Year’s Day, the Detroit Lions after that, and then they’ll dance into the postseason — if the Washington Commanders lose a game to the Cleveland Browns or Dallas Cowboys.
Green Bay has won three straight after bottoming out against the Philadelphia Eagles on November 27th. And because they’re the Packers, everything needed to provide a favorable playoff path has happened.
Keep an eye on the Packers, too, as they could play the Vikings in Round 1 of the postseason. Here’s the scenario.
This is true and was adeptly described by AJ Mansour after Vikings-Giants:
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).