Adam Thielen’s Role Is Here to Stay for Vikings
A week ago there were serious question marks for the Minnesota Vikings at wide receiver. Jordan Addison had a looming suspension and Jalen Nailor underwent surgery that could call his Week 1 availability into question. Then they traded for Adam Thielen.
Adam Thielen is back for the Minnesota Vikings, and his addition won’t only be felt during Week 1 or until Jordan Addison returns.
It would be silly to assume that Thielen is the same player at 35 years old that he was nearly a decade ago. That said, his skillset is not one that often ages poorly. His game has always been about quickness and intent, not speed. He runs great routes and gets separation because of his intellect. He hangs onto the football and has great hands.
Adam Thielen Is More Than Just a Menial Trade
Those things remain. The Minnesota Vikings didn’t move on two years ago because they believed Thielen was cooked. Coming off a 716 yard season and six touchdowns, he wanted a bigger role in the offense and the Carolina Panthers offered a more lucrative payday.
Now back with his hometown squad, Thielen took a $2 million pay cut to facilitate the move further. He’ll likely play second-fiddle to Justin Jefferson and be content to drop down to third when Jordan Addison returns. What he isn’t going to do is let Jalen Nailor find a straightforward path to playing time. That’s a good thing.
It was legitimately nightmare fuel to think that Nailor, and an injured version at that, was going to be the second wideout option for J.J. McCarthy. Nailor had six touchdowns last season, but he left plenty more on the table. There is a functioning NFL wide receiver somewhere within the skillset, but he’s hardly earned a guaranteed role in the offense.
Now with Thielen in tow, the Vikings have arguably the best three-deep wide receiver group across the league. He provides an extremely high ceiling for the trio, and both Addison and Jefferson can operate without the idea that they are easy to shadow or double team.
Minnesota will be at its best when O’Connell can spread the ball among all of the options. McCarthy gets the benefit of a strong pass catching group and great running backs while operating behind a beefed-up offensive line. To suggest this is anything less than the perfect outcome would be putting it lightly.
I have no idea how many more years Thielen is going to play. Maybe this is his last. For now, though, the WR3 role is his to keep for the season, and Nailor will need to figure out alternative plans.
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