Veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen has accepted a pay cut from the Vikings shortly after reuniting with the team via a trade from the Panthers.
Originally set to receive $6.25MM in base salary, per OverTheCap, Thielen has agreed to cut back that number by $2MM, based on NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. $4MM of incentives – added earlier this offseason in a revised cope with the Panthers – were also removed.
Pelissero adds that Thielen volunteered for the pay cut to assist facilitate his return to Minnesota. He had already agreed to the revised terms on the time of the trade, per ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, and can now rejoin a well-recognized group of players in coaches.
Thielen, 35, signed with the Vikings as an undrafted rookie in 2014 and made the 53-man rosters a depth receiver and core special teams contributor. The 6-foot-2 receiver broke out in 2016 with 967 yards and averaged 62 yards per game over the following six seasons, earning two contract extensions in the method. Along together with his 2023 free agency cope with the Panthers, Thielen has reached $83.6MM in profession earnings (via OverTheCap) allowing the Minnesota native to present the Vikings a hometown discount.
With Jordan Addison suspended to start out the season and Jalen Nailor coping with a hand injury, Thielen immediately leaped to the highest of the Vikings’ depth chart and can likely play an enormous role early on. Addison will likely be sidelined for the team’s first three games, while Nailor is “week-to-week” with a hand injury and hasn’t practice in almost two weeks. Thielen’s experience in previous Kevin O’Connell offenses could make him a quarterback-friendly goal for first-year starter J.J. McCarthy.