Jan 3, 2021; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen (19) after the game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
The Minnesota Vikings WR room consists of Justin Jefferson, K.J. Osborn, Jalen Reagor, Jalen Nailor, Blake Proehl, Trishton Jackson, and Thomas Hennigan at the moment, as longtime wideout Adam Thielen was released six days ago.
Thielen is a free agent and can sign anywhere in the league.
And if the decision was left up to a five-time Pro Bowl cornerback, Thielen might join the Philadelphia Eagles, a rival of the Vikings.
It’s Darius Slay, and the defender sounds intrigued by a Thielen addition to the Eagles 2023 roster. Slay actually appeared on the verge of release from Philadelphia this week but reversed course Wednesday and will reportedly remain on Nick Sirianni’s team.
After Thielen’s release on March 10th, Slay said on the Big Play Slay podcast, “If you want to come over here to Philly, come over to Philly.”
“Come on over here, we winning. But I hope wherever you land at big time, you find a great home and make that team do what it do,” Slay continued the recruiting push.
Thielen left the Vikings ranked third in franchise history in receptions and receiving touchdowns and fourth in receiving yards. A genuinely beloved commodity, Thielen spent 10 seasons in Minnesota and was only let go because his cap hit would’ve hit the books for $19.9 million in 2023.
Slay elaborated on Thielen’s free agency, “Adam Thielen, how he got released from Minnesota, it was wild to me because it’s not like they didn’t give him the shot to be the guy they want him to be even though they got an amazing No. 1 receiver over there.”
“But as I was watching film all through the year because they played a lot of teams that we played, Thielen was not getting a rock a lot. He was not getting the opportunity to make plays, and he still was going. I felt like he was still running great routes. So that’s the only shocker to me,” Slay concluded.
The Eagles, for now, aren’t on any official shortlist to chat with Thielen. Teams like the Kansas City Chiefs, Indianapolis Colts, and Carolina Panthers are some rumored destinations for Thielen’s services through three days of free agency. Thielen even met with the Panthers this week, but The Athletic’s Joe Person tweeted thereafter, “WR Adam Thielen keeping his options open following his visit with Panthers today, per a source with knowledge of the situation. One of those options remains signing with CAR.”
If Thielen signs with the Chiefs, Panthers, or Eagles, he will play against the Vikings in 2023.
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,’ and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.