Adam Thielen looks to ‘be respected’ in Minnesota Vikings contract talks
By Adam Carlson
Adam Thielen is a restricted free agent, but that doesn’t mean the services of the wide receiver and special teams ace will come cheap to the team.
When it comes to great stories for the Minnesota Vikings, few are better than Adam Thielen’s rise from undrafted free agent, to camp body, to practice squad player, to main roster special teams, and finally a starting wide receiver in the NFL.
In fact, Thielen ended up as the team’s top wide receiver during the 2016 NFL season by catching 69 passes for 967 yards and five touchdowns. That is the kind of performance that many players can turn into a big payday in today’s NFL.
Thielen is a restricted free agent, meaning the Minnesota Vikings will be able to match any offer another team makes on him. And those offers might be more than the team’s front office or fans might anticipate.
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Recently, Adam Thielen spoke at Winterfest in Prior Lake, Minnesota about his future with the team according to 1500 ESPN:
"“Being able to put the film out there that I did and prove that I can be a starter in this league, it’s put me in a good situation,” Thielen said at Winterfest on Friday. “Now I’m just hoping that things can work out and I can be respected in that type of way because I feel like I proved it and hopefully I can stay here long term and be respected with the way they handle me.”"
As far as the details of the offer sheets, draft picks, and contracts associated with being a restricted free agent, Thielen will keep that work for his agent, Blake Baratz.
"“There’s a lot that goes into it,” Thielen said. “It’s a pretty complex deal but for me, I’m just leaving it to my agent and let me just go work and focus on training and be the best football player I can.”"
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Hopefully, the Minnesota Vikings and Adam Thielen can work out a long-term deal that fits the needs of both the player and the team by not breaking the bank yet ‘respecting’ Thielen’s talent and abilities. Fingers crossed.