The Vikings Will Face Off Against Old Friends in 2023
Josh Frey
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In the first weeks of the 2023 NFL offseason, the Minnesota Vikings released a couple fan-favorite players that had become cornerstones of the franchise over the past decade. Those players are, of course, LB Eric Kendricks and WR Adam Thielen.
As it turns out, though, after Thielen announced that he would be joining the Carolina Panthers, it won’t take long for the Vikings to see these old friends again, though. In fact, the Vikings officially will play against both of them during the 2023 season.
The Vikings will play the Panthers in Carolina this season as a result of the NFC North and NFC South sharing a schedule this season. We do not know exactly when the two teams will meet, but that information should be released soon.
Thielen joined the Vikings back in 2013 as a undrafted free agent out of Minnesota State University-Mankato, and up until now, he had spent his entire 10-year NFL career in Minnesota. He spent that rookie season as a practice squad player but didn’t see any playing time.
However, as time progressed, he not only worked his way onto the roster and into the starting lineup, but he made the Pro Bowl twice in both 2017 and 2018. In all, Thielen appeared in 135 regular-season games for the Vikings throughout his career there, including 101 starts.
He recorded 534 receptions, 6682 yards, and 55 TDs for Minnesota. He finished his playing career ranked third in receptions, fourth in receiving yards, and third in receiving TDs in Vikings franchise history.
However, Thielen isn’t the only former Viking from the 2022 roster that Minnesota will run into at some point during this season. They will also run into Kendricks this year after he signed with the Los Angeles Chargers. The Vikings will play host to Kendricks and the Chargers at U.S. Bank Stadium. It will be the first time that Kendricks returns to Minnesota as an opponent.
Kendricks largely was the face of the Vikings defense throughout his career in Minnesota. He was selected in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Vikings, and almost immediately, he became a crucial part of their defensive scheme. Over his eight seasons in Minnesota, Kendricks started 113 games for the Vikings, recording 919 tackles, 54 TFLs, 15 sacks, 51 PDs, 9 interceptions, 4 forced fumbles, and 6 fumble recoveries.
The official NFL schedule is set to be released later this spring (date TBD) when we will officially find out when these former Vikings will face off with their old team.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken