Vikings Rumors Zero In on Harrison Smith’s Status, Adam Thielen’s Humanitarian Ways, and Ed Ingram
The Minnesota Vikings’ rumor mill remains open for business, even with the regular season two days away.
Vikings rumors simmer over Harrison Smith’s status, Adam Thielen’s perks, and what the future could hold for OG Ed Ingram in Houston.
Kevin O’Connell’s team will take on Caleb Williams and friends on Monday night at Soldier Field.
In the meantime, here’s the first batch of purple rumors for the weekend.
Vikings Rumors for September 6th, 2025
The purple rumor mill tracks them all, the gossip and would-be development in the Vikings’ orbit.
Rumor: Harrison Smith still hasn’t practiced this week, tossing his Week 1 status up in the air.
Smith has been missing from Vikings practice and preseason games for weeks.
Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling tweeted last week, “Vikings safety Harrison Smith, who’s been out since Aug. 11, has been recovering from a personal health matter, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. He’ll be evaluated weekly, but he remains on the active roster.”
And when the first regular season report hit on Thursday, Smith was listed as a DNP (did not practice). Fast forward to Friday, and Smith featured a “Limited” designation, an upgrade from the DNP.
A source tells VikingsTerritory that Smith will be ready by Monday night and play against the Chicago Bears.
Rumor: Adam Thielen took a real paycut upon arriving back in Minnesota.
Thielen accepted a true paycut after the Vikings trade with the Carolina Panthers. The team didn’t wiggle money around or simply shift funds to the back of Thielen’s deal.
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert wrote last weekend, “Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen took a $2 million pay cut to help finalize the trade that sent him from the Carolina Panthers back to his hometown team, sources confirmed to ESPN on Saturday.”
“As a result, Thielen will earn roughly $5 million this season. The Vikings and Panthers spent more than a week discussing the deal. Some of the delay was related to draft pick compensation.”
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero added that Minnesota “removed $4 million incentives” from his deal and remarked, “This wasn’t about money — Thielen wanted to come home, and volunteered to help the team’s salary cap to make it happen.”
Thielen’s return didn’t need more positive vibes, but lo and behold, he provided an extra perk to the team’s budget.
Rumor: Ed Ingram is on deck to start for the Houston Texans.
Remember Ed Ingram, the guy traded by the Vikings six months ago to the Texans? He’ll start this season down in Houston after flaming out in Minnesota.
Our Janik Eckardt noted this week, “After getting benched in Minnesota last season, Ingram is slotted in as a starter by his new employer. The Texans released their unofficial depth chart, and he is listed as the starting right guard. Ingram is joined by veterans David Andrews and Laken Tomlinson, as well as rookie left tackle Aireontae Ersery and right tackle Tytus Howard.”
Here’s the Texans’ new-look offensive line:
LT – Aireontae Ersery
LG – Laken Tomlinson
C – Jake Andrews
RG – Ed Ingram
RT – Tytus Howard
Almost every player from Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s 2022 draft class has flopped, and Ingram didn’t take off in the Twin Cities, either, despite over two years’ worth of games as the starting right guard. Ingram’s Pro Football Focus marks always hovered below 60.0, and his development just stalled in the Twin Cities.
The Vikings cut ties with Ingram this offseason, adding highly sought-after free agent Will Fries from the Indianapolis Colts.
NFL ranking metrics classify Houston’s offensive line as the very worst in the NFL or near the bottom — probably why the franchise is giving Ingram a whirl.
But if you thought Ingram’s career was cooked, that was wrong. He’ll get at least one more shot in the AFC South as a starter.
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