The Vikings Accidentally Took Part in a Screwjob
Had the trade been delayed by a day, it may not have happened at all.
Adam Thielen’s trade to the Vikings came with a twist, leaving his old team reeling just days later in a move that feels like an inadvertent screwjob.
The Minnesota Vikings traded for home-state hero Adam Thielen on Wednesday, a deal with the Carolina Panthers. On Thursday, the man in line to replace Thielen, Jalen Coker, injured his quad.
By no fault of their own, Minnesota caused a fluky screwjob.
Adam Thielen’s Return to Vikings Sparked Chaos for His Former Team
Minnesota pulled off its reunion trade just in time.
Panther WR Jalen Coker Injured One Day after Adam Thielen Trade
Coker will not factor in Carolina’s plans for the season’s first four games. He’s out.
NBC Sports‘ Josh Alper wrote, “The Panthers are set to bring back Hunter Renfrow, but their need at receiver wasn’t just because they traded Adam Thielen to the Vikings earlier this week.”
“The team announced that they plan to place Jalen Coker on injured reserve. Coker injured his quad in practice on Thursday. Coker would miss at least the first four games of the season as a result of the move. The second-year wideout had 32 catches for 478 yards and two touchdowns during his rookie season.”
It’s a brutal blow for a Panthers’ team that had big plans for Coker, who hinted at mini-stardom as a rookie in 2024.
Advantageous Timing for the Vikings
The winner here, even if it sounds morbid? General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
The beneficiary of serendipitous timing, Adofo-Mensah finally pulled off the Thielen trade on Wednesday. sending a 4th-Round pick and a 5th-Rounder to Carolina for Thielen, a 5th-Rounder, and a conditional 7th-Rounder. The two sides actively engaged in trade talks for slightly less than a week, pulling the trigger last Wednesday.
Coker fell injured a day later, and all signs point to no deal if Coker’s injury had occurred on Wednesday or before.
Minnesota needs Thielen to start the season, as the usual WR2, Jordan Addison, won’t play for the first three games of the regular season because of a DUI-adjacent suspension.
Poor Timing for Carolina
The Panthers can overcome Coker’s absence, but the timing proved to be brutal. Most Carolina fans had no major problem offloading Thielen — especially with a 4th-Rounder coming back in their direction — elated to allot Coker more targets in the passing offense.
Now, that grand plan must wait.
Without Thielen and Coker, quarterback Bryce Young will have these wide receivers at his disposal until Coker’s return:
- Tetairoa McMillan
- Xavier Legette
- Hunter Renfrow
- David Moore
- Jimmy Horn Jr.
- Brycen Tremayne
- Dalevon Campbell
Approximately two weeks ago, that group seemed to be stuffed to the gills with decent wide receivers. Now, Carolina is operating with three to four players whom casual fans have never heard of.
Hunter Renfrow to the Rescue
Renfrow has been sold by Panthers brass since Thursday as the fix.
The 29-year-old was out of the NFL last season, nursing a health malady, but made his return this summer to Carolina’s training camp and preseason. He did not make the cut for the 53-man roster, but quickly became rather attractive after the Thielen trade and Coker injury.
Renfrow actually served as a Vikings WR option among fans last summer via free agency, though he ultimately took the season off.
More on Coker’s Injury and Renfrow in the House
ESPN’s Dave Newton wrote about the Coker injury and Renfrow as the replacement: “Renfrow will fill the roster spot of Jalen Coker, who was placed on injured reserve with a quad injury suffered in Thursday’s practice. Coker, who is expected to miss the first four to six games, had been tabbed to replace veteran Adam Thielen, who was traded to the Minnesota Vikings on Wednesday.”
“Renfrow missed the 2024 season after being released by the Las Vegas Raiders following a 2023 season in which his production dropped significantly while he dealt with ulcerative colitis. There were times while dealing with the disease that Renfrow suffered through seven straight days of fever of 103 degrees. He wondered if he would play football again after disappointing 2022 and 2023 seasons.”
Renfrow banked 1,038 receiving yards for the 2021 Las Vegas Raiders, but has struggled to rekindle that success.
“The Panthers kept in constant contact with Renfrow after releasing him, initially hoping to sign him to the practice squad while he got back to 100% after a hamstring injury during training camp slowed his comeback,” Newton continued.
“Coach Dave Canales said Wednesday that he didn’t think Renfrow was quite back to the form he showed early in training camp when explaining the decision to cut him. But both Canales and general manager Dan Morgan repeatedly told Renfrow they wanted him to be a part of the organization. Coker’s injury sped up the process.”
Perhaps Panther’s wideout Tetairoa McMillan, a rookie from Round 1, will play wonderfully and ease the pain of the accidental screwjob.
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