Don’t Forget the Other Former Vikings WR on Panthers Roster
Adam Thielen ranks 24th in the NFL in receiving yards (211) heading into Week 4, has grabbed 2 touchdowns, and is getting everything he wanted in Carolina.
The 33-year-old could’ve signed with a contending team during free agency but instead chose the Panthers on a three-year, $25 million deal and a WR1 job title.
Don’t Forget the Other Former Vikings WR on Panthers Roster
And Thielen is delivering for the winless Panthers, but there’s another former Minnesota Vikings wide receiver on the same depth chart — Ihmir Smith-Marsette.
The once-promising ex-Viking joined the Panthers at the end of August via trade with the Kansas City Chiefs. He’s only played a handful of offensive snaps, but Smith-Marsette is Carolina’s return man, the man back for kickoffs and punts.
Vikings fans shouldn’t expect Smith-Marsette to have a field day via the passing game — that’s what Adam Thielen’s for — but there should be some degree of paranoia that another former Viking will return punts this Sunday.
So far in 2023, Smith-Marsette has fielded 7 punts for 23 return yards, so it’s not like Devin Hester is lurking or anything close to it. Yet, like all athletes, Smith-Marsette likely has this game circled as some sort of revenge tryst.
Carolina represents Smith-Marsette’s fourth team in three seasons, previously spending time with the Vikings, Chicago Bears, and aforementioned Chiefs. Smith-Marsette won a Super Bowl ring in Kansas City last year.
Found by former Vikings GM Rick Spielman in the 2021 NFL Draft, Smith-Marsette was theorized as Minnesota’s WR4 heading into 2022 by most fans, but the Jalen Reagor trade canceled that plan. The Chiefs used Smith-Marsette on 13 total plays in 2022, and he did not play in Kansas City’s successful playoff run.
Minnesota selected Smith-Marsette in the 5th Round of the 2021 NFL Draft, but like much of that draft class, he was dismissed by Minnesota’s new leadership regime in 2022. Sixty-three percent of the Vikings 2021 draft class now plays elsewhere.
After leaving the Vikings 13 months ago, Smith-Marsette temporarily latched onto the Bears. That lasted about seven weeks, and the Bears said goodbye to the young wideout in October after a series of bloopers. Smith-Marsette encountered drops, penalties, fumbles, and generalized futility with the Bears, so the relationship was short-lived.
In 2021 as a rookie, Smith-Marsette caught 5 passes for 114 yards and 2 touchdowns. He seemed rather promising in Minnesota but should serve as a cautionary tale that sometimes fans just get it wrong.
Unless something changes at the last minute, Smith-Marsette should be back accepting all Vikings punts and kick returns.
Carolina ranks 11th at the moment per special teams DVOA.
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 Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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