Getty Adam Thielen said he considered retirement during the 2022 season.
Hailing from Detroit Lakes, Minn., Adam Thielen‘s loyalty to the Minnesota Vikings is unrivaled by any player to their team in the NFL.
After being cut as an undrafted rookie, Thielen didn’t jump ship for another organization. He stuck with the team, agreeing to sign to the practice squad. He eventually relished a role as a special teams player before becoming one of the league’s top wide receivers and a two-time Pro Bowler.
The 31-year-old remains adamant about staying in Minnesota. But with the Vikings $16.0 million over the 2022 salary cap, per OverTheCap, the franchise will have to reassess its most costly contracts and those players’ futures in Minnesota.
And Thielen is well aware he’ll be among the Vikings’ several “tough decisions” this offseason.
The latest Vikings news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Vikings newsletter here!
‘There’s Going to Be Some Tough Moves and Decisions Ahead’
Speaking on KFAN on Friday, February 18, Thielen admitted he’s likely one of several personnel decisions ahead for the new regime of general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell.
In 2022, Thielen garners the highest cap hit of his career of $16.8 million. Thielen’s production has declined over the past several seasons due to injury and the emergence of Justin Jefferson as the team’s top receiving threat, warranting the possibility of Thielen taking a “pay cut” for the 2022 season.
The good news: Thielen appears to be willing to do whatever it takes to help the Vikings push forward in a new direction, saying “he couldn’t be more excited” for the future with the team.
“There’s going to be some tough [roster] moves and decisions ahead, and I’ll probably be a part of those decisions, but I couldn’t be more excited about the direction of the team,” Thielen said on the Power Trip morning show on KFAN, per Sean Borman.
Die-hard Vikings fan? Follow the Heavy on Vikings Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content from Skol Nation!
“There’s going to be some tough [roster] moves and decisions ahead, and I’ll probably be a part of those decisions, but I couldn’t be more excited about the direction of the team.”
–#Vikings WR Adam Thielen on @PowerTripKFAN
Despite the concern Thielen expressed, he many just be making the humble play.
In 2021, Thielen agreed to contract restructuring that converted $10 million of his $11.1 million base salary to a 2021 signing bonus, leaving just $2.5 million of that bonus on the books for 2021 and the other increments of $2.5 million placed on the cap for the remainder of his contract.
His comments on Friday indicate he may be willing to convert his $12 million base salary this offseason as well, pushing his guaranteed earnings further down the road and rendering that “pay cut” to a promissory note as he inches closer to retirement.
Suppose the Vikings and Thielen take that similar route, converting $10 million of his $12 million base salary for the 2022 season to a signing bonus and stretching it across the final three seasons of his contract. In that case, Minnesota could create at least $6 million in cap space and potentially more if they add void years to his contract.
Many More Decisions to Come
Thielen is just one of many veterans that the Vikings are anticipated to make decisions on approaching the first day of free agency on March 16.
Entering the final year of his contract, Kirk Cousins is at the top of the list of decisions facing the new regime, which has touted their support of Cousins since the hiring of O’Connell.
Danielle Hunter’s contract also needs a rework with an $18 million roster bonus ready to toll five days after the free agency window opens. The Vikings can covert that into a signing bonus and stretch those earnings across the remainder of Hunter’s deal to lessen his $26.1 million cap hit. The other realistic option is to trade the elite edge rusher who has struggled with injury the past two seasons.
Anthony Barr and Patrick Peterson are among several defensive starters slated to reach free agency if not re-signed in the next few weeks. Safety Xavier Woods, Nick Vigil and Mackensie Alexander are other starters who are pending free agents.
Those are just the expected changes on the horizon for the Vikings. They could make many surprising moves this offseason as the new brain trust of O’Connell and Adofo-Mensah attempt to carve a new path for the franchise but must first tidy up the mess left by the former tenants.