Vikings ‘Kick Can Down the Road’ with Adam Thielen
Dustin Baker
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While it generally takes consent and openmindedness for an NFL player to restructure his deal — which is, of course, essential for cash-strapped teams — few players outside of Tom Brady take less money compared to their relative value.
So when Adam Thielen restructured his contract recently, the Minnesota State alumnus agreed to it indeed, but all the maneuver did was move money into the future.
Thielen’s restructure freed up money for the Vikings 2022 salary cap, “kicking the can down the road” into the next two seasons from a financial perspective. The move by Thielen and the Vikings allowed Minnesota to sign free agents like Chandon Sullivan (CB) and Jesse Davis (OL).
Here’s what the deal looks like now:
There are a couple of factors at play here. Foremost, the immediate temptation is to decry new general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah for inflating future problems. That seems like a sensible reaction, but it depends on one’s perspective regarding Thielen’s future performance.
As it stands now, Thielen’s 2023 scheduled cap number is the 13th-highest among WRs in the NFL. Christian Kirk and Robby Anderson are slated to hold a higher cap number in the 2023 season. Inside the last three seasons, Thielen ranks fourth in the NFL for receiving touchdowns and 41st in receiving yards. Is that worth the 13th-ranked cap number for a 33-year-old when 2023 rolls around? That’s for you to decide.
Wide receiver salaries are rising dramatically, evidenced by Christian Kirk’s flabbergasting free-agent contract in Jacksonville or Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill’s new deals with fresh teams.
Stefon Diggs is squawking for a reason.
Per production, Thielen’s current salary — and even the cap numbers for the next two years — is fair.
However, he’s a wide receiver who will be 34 years old by the time the deal concludes. Minnesota is banking on good health from a wideout who hasn’t tallied 1,000 yards in a season since 2018. It’s a gamble.
Next, pushing money into the future is a lightning rod for criticism, especially for a football team with a 15-18 record amid the last two seasons — that just so happens to be quarterbacked by Kirk Cousins. Some fans perceive the enterprise with a low ceiling. A substantial group of folks does not believe Cousins, led by an offense-first coach in Kevin O’Connell, can take the Vikings to the Promised Land. Never mind that O’Connell and Sean McVay did so with a “loser” quarterback in Matthew Stafford. They are unwaveringly convinced Cousins is a detriment to the enterprise.
Therefore, scheduling deals like Thielen’s to inflict increased cap pain “down the road” establishes an underwater feel when the Vikings decide to rebuild. Because remember, the anti-Cousins crowd is absolutely convinced that’s on the horizon after Cousins fails. And when their prognostication comes to fruition, the team will be gutted — and still muddied with dead cap decisions from 2021 and 2022.
That’s the rub. Thielen is compensated at fair market value — now and in the next few years. The debate is Thielen’s age and Cousins’ wherewithal to jell with Kevin O’Connell.
If you trust O’Connell and Cousins to shove the team into playoff contendership, the “kick the can down the road” outrage is moot. If you do not, the anxiety is valid.
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).
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