The Move Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Probably Wants Back
Sacrificing (more than) a 4th-Round selection alongside (close to) $4.6 million in cap space is a decent amount. Has Adam Thielen been worth it? Pretty decisively, the answer is no even though Kevin O’Connell has tried to run some interference.
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s desire to enhance the receiver depth made sense. Justin Jefferson had missed most of camp, Jalen Nailor had been hurt, and Jordan Addison was moving into a suspension. Plus, Rondale Moore was done for the year while Lucky Jackson declined. Even still, the cost of building the depth back up was too pricey for what the team is getting.
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and the Adam Thielen Trade
For good reason, Mr. Thielen has been dropped down to WR4.
The 35-year-old receiver is sitting on 4 catches for 37 yards. Thielen is thus putting together very some very, very modest statistics after Vikings fans fooled themselves into believing the veteran was still capable of thriving. Yes, he cleared 100 catches and 1,000 yards with Carolina in 2023, but a lot of that production arrived on easy, underneath throws that the defense was happy to give up (or at least that was the case when his Panthers fell to the Vikings that season).
Pretty stunningly, Thielen sees himself at eighth in receiving yardage with the Vikings in 2025.
Jefferson (no surprise) leads the charge while Addison (minor surprise) sits in second. Hockenson and Nailor are next up, both sensible options to target. But then sitting at fifth is Zavier Scott, the RB4 entering the season who is getting worked into the mix due to injuries to RB1 Aaron Jones and RB3 Ty Chandler. Scott has 7 catches for 63 yards and a score. Notably, Mr. Scott has climbed to these receiving numbers in four games instead of the five for Thielen.
Few, if any, believed that the Vikings’ fourth runner would be outpacing Adam Thielen by the time the Week 6 bye arrived, but here we are.
Of course, one could make a reasonable point: a receiver’s value goes beyond just basic statistics. Undoubtedly, that’s true. Consider that Thielen is offering depth as the PR2 and is a great leader in the locker room. And then there’s the ability to help as a blocker alongside the 2-point conversion from Week 1 that’s not showing up in the stats. All of these things matter.
Plus, the season isn’t over. Far from it, in fact.
There are still a dozen games out there in 2025. Along the way, Adam Thielen does not need to provide the best statistics. Rather, Adam Thielen needs to provide the right statistics. What that means is proving clutch when the Vikings need someone to step up. Convert the 3rd down. Score when the coverage gets ultra sticky near the end zone. Lay down a massive block.
Offer these things and Minnesota can make peace with the cost to bring the hometown kid back home. For whatever it’s worth, all four of Thielen’s receptions have been converted for a first down. More of that is what Minnesota is hoping to see.
Per PFF, Thielen is the NFL’s 106th-ranked receiver out of the 125 who are qualifying. The 53.8 grade is a career-worst number. He is, in other words, someone who doesn’t merit a pile of snaps based on the on-field performance. Recent weeks have seen Thielen down at 12 plays (Week 4) and 14 plays (Week 5).
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will be holding out hope that the veteran turns things around. Quite possibly, the bye week will help since Thielen got welcomed back at the end of the offseason, creating a whirlwind of travel and transition.
As of mid-October, though, one could persuasively argue that the early return on investment hasn’t been worth it.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
