Oct 1, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) (left) and Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen (19) and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver K.J. Osborn (17) (right) after the game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports.
A weekend publication from VikingsTerritory, we present to you: the Vikings Nopedy Nopes of the week.
The nopedy nopes are weekly Minnesota Vikings-themed items that we’re not buying. It’s a spin-off of our rumor mill, and we hope you enjoy. Here is the 34th batch of Vikings nopedy nopes in the series’ history.
This website thought Adam Thielen could be traded to the Vikings for a conditional 7th-Round pick or pick swap, but Thielen stayed put at the deadline.
Carolina traded Diontae Johnson to the Baltimore Ravens and Jonathan Mingo to the Dallas Cowboys — and then Thielen to nowhere. Unless he’s released, Thielen is expected to stay with one of the NFL’s worst teams during one of his final campaigns as a pro.
The reunion angle was all for naught. We were wrong.
Verdict: Nopedy nope.
The Dallas Cowboys dropped former Minnesota Vikings cornerback Andrew Booth on Tuesday — and promptly re-signed him to the practice squad on Thursday.
His waiver was procedural, and Booth incurred a demotion, not an outright termination. The Cowboys public relations team tweeted Thursday, “The Cowboys signed CB Andrew Booth to the practice squad.”
Booth, 24, has played just three games in Dallas this season, a total non-factor in Zimmer’s defense, experiencing action on 38 defensive plays. Opposing quarterbacks fired up a 118.7 passer rating when targeting Booth in a limited sample, and Booth’s 38.9 Pro Football Focus grade is also lackluster.
He might’ve been technically waived, but the move was really just a procedural demotion.
Verdict: Nopedy nope.
Spend just a little time around a batch of Minnesota Vikings fans or a branch of purple social media, and you will hear something to the effect of “Vikings fans can’t have nice things.”
That mantra was re-confirmed on Tuesday when rookie kicker Will Reichard hit the shelf for at least four games. The specialist joined Injured Reserve because of a quad injury, and that’s a wrap for Reichard in the month of November.
The Vikings also lost long snapper Andrew DePaola on Sunday, and the team tweeted Tuesday, “The Vikings have placed LS Andrew DePaola and K Will Reichard on IR.”
Not long ago, Minnesota hosted a faux kicking battle featuring Reichard and fellow young kicker John Parker Romo. Reichard handily won the competition.
But Romo is back.
The Vikings signed Romo soon after Reichard visited injured reserve, and he’s tentatively on deck to kick for the team in the next four games. Folks will hope Romo has some untapped potential.
But on the whole, the motto was right: the Vikings can’t have nice things. The shiny new kicker is out for a month.
Verdict: Nopedy nope.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.