Rotten News for a Vikings Great
The good news is that sitting Bryce Young worked. The rotten news is that Adam Thielen, a Vikings great, needs a trip to the IR.
Jordan Schultz was on the news early, announcing the injury and need for time off: “Sources: #Panthers WR Adam Thielen is expected to miss some time with a hamstring injury he suffered Sunday in Las Vegas. An exact timetable is currently unclear, but he will be out a little. Thielen had 3 catches, 40 yards and a TD before leaving the game.”
As it turns out, the injured reserve will be used. The NFL’s official social media announced the move: “Panthers placing WR Adam Thielen (hamstring) on IR.” Hamstring injuries can be tricky, especially for a wide receiver that needs to be able to accelerate and change directions with ease. It’s better to get back to 100% before stepping onto the field again.
In an ideal world, the time off will be just four games and Thielen will get back onto the field to help the Panthers’ ascent.
Vikings Great Adam Thielen Gets Rotten News
For a time, Adam Thielen was one of the foremost receivers in the NFL.
The former UDFA pickup became the WR1 with the Vikings. He has good size at 6’2″ and 195 pounds; plus, he was capable of winning deep due to some good speed (not Tyreek Hill, but still good). Statistically, his most formidable seasons arrived in 2017 and 2018.
Across those two seasons, Thielen put up 204 catches, 2,649 yards, and 13 touchdowns. Elite production no matter who we’re talking about at receiver.
His Vikings career lasted until 2022. The issue was that his salary cap hit no longer coincided with the level of on-field play. Indeed, he was commanding a huge portion of the budget even though he hadn’t cleared 1,000 yards since the 2018 season.
When it comes to the all-time numbers, Thielen sits in elite territory. He is 4th in franchise history with 6,682 yards. His catches — 534 — put him in 3rd. His touchdowns sit at 55, good enough for 3rd in Minnesota’s history. Not bad for a kid from Detroit Lakes, Minnesota who (apparently) wasn’t good enough to get drafted.
The Carolina Panthers brought Thielen to town to support Young, the No. 1 selection from the 2023 NFL Draft. The pair worked reasonably well together — Thielen had 103 receptions, 1,014 yards, and 4 touchdowns — but the team success didn’t follow. Carolina was a dismal 2-15.
More recently, Andy Dalton got the nod at quarterback. Take a look at what happened:
No doubt, an all around sensational play. The issue is simply that Mr. Thielen is now in the infirmary.
Adam Thielen, 34, is working on the second year of a three-year, $25 million agreement. His cap charge is sitting at $9,917,000 for the season.
Carolina and Minnesota don’t play each other in 2024.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.