Purple Rumor Mill: Adam Thielen Revelation, Michael Penix Jr., Jaren Hall’s Fate
VikingsTerritory’s Purple Rumor Mill is a two-day chronicle each week. All the week’s Vikings rumors are lassoed and plopped in two spots — articles on Saturday and Sunday — for review. Today is the July 20th edition.
Purple Rumor Mill: Adam Thielen Revelation, Michael Penix Jr., Jaren Hall’s Fate
Remember — rumors are rumors. What you read on weekends in these pieces is what the world is talking about pertaining to the purple team, not necessarily items that will come to fruition.
Here’s the first batch of the week. All past rumors can be read here.
Rumor: Adam Thielen wanted to join the Kansas City Chiefs after he left the Vikings in 2023.
From the man’s lips, Thielen wanted to become a Kansas City Chief in March of 2023.
The former Viking played a golf tournament last week and was asked about playing against the Chiefs in 2024. He responded, “Well, I was trying to go there, and they didn’t want me, so I’ll have to try to show them what I got.”
The revelation is somewhat Captain Obvious — many pundits and fans speculated in March 2023 that Thielen + the Chiefs would’ve interlocked nicely. However, it didn’t work out, and thanks to Thielen’s impromptu comment, folks learned that Kansas City was the entity that said “no thanks.”
Thielen later joined the Carolina Panthers on a three-year, $25 million deal.
Meanwhile, many Vikings fans hope Thielen will return to the Vikings‘ lineup via trade, as the club might need a WR3. The Panthers added Diontae Johnson and Xavier Lagette this offseason, making it all but certain that Thielen’s workload will dip.
Rumor: Minnesota preferred Michael Penix Jr. over J.J. McCarthy in the draft.
This one came from SKOR North‘s Judd Zulgad. He said on Purple Daily this week, “I’ve heard rumblings on Penix that the Vikings did love him, and they liked his arm. And they liked him more than McCarthy.”
Penix Jr. wound up with the Atlanta Falcons — Kirk Cousins’ team — after a shocking draft night development. Draft heads expected the Falcons to draft an EDGE rusher, like Dallas Turner from Alabama, who ultimately landed with the Vikings, but Atlanta stunned everyone by drafting the oldest quarterback in the class to sit behind Cousins.
Penix Jr. was on the Vikings’ radar during the draft’s lead-up but only as a contingency plan, at least according to the draft community.
And let’s face it — whether Minnesota wanted Penix Jr. over McCarthy is basically moot.
Rumor: Jaren Hall will make the Vikings’ 53-man roster, with Nick Mullens as the odd man out.
Former Vikings general manager Jeff Diamond brought the heat with this theory a few days ago.
Diamond writes weekly at VikingsTerritory and also contributes to The 33rd Team. There, he wrote this week, “Veteran Nick Mullens and second-year man Jaren Hall will also compete for the No. 3 job (with the cheaper Hall likely to emerge).”
Diamond also referenced the club’s would-be cap savings of $940,000 with Hall over Mullens — money that could be used on extraneous free agents — and deemed Mullens an “unnecessary luxury” at QB3.
Hall looked decent for a drive in Week 9 at the Atlanta Falcons last November. But down the stretch of 2023, Minnesota handed Hall the baton in a crucial game versus the Green Bay Packers, and he utterly faceplanted. However, that’s sometimes the case for rookies, especially late-rounders.
Mullens v. Hall could be an honest-to-goodness camp battle, so Diamond might be on to something with Hall at QB3.
Texans Sign Former Vikings Player
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 MIN 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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