Top 5 priorities for the Vikings heading into the 2019 offseason
By Chris Schad
Extend Adam Thielen and re-sign Sheldon Richardson
While the Vikings fell way short in their expectations this season, there are several players that were not part of the problem.
Two of those players, Adam Thielen and Sheldon Richardson are due for big paydays and with the salary cap wizardry of Brzezinski, it’s possible that the Vikings could lock up two members of their core.
Richardson’s one-year gamble with the Minnesota paid off with 4.5 sacks and six tackles for loss in 2018. That effectiveness made him a great tag team partner with Linval Joseph and even though Richardson could be expensive, it may be worth giving him the money to avoid creating another hole up front.
Thielen’s situation is different seeing as the Vikings have him under contract through 2021. But he has drastically outplayed his four-year, $19.2 million contract he signed prior to the 2017 season.
The soon to be 29-year-old definitely deserves a raise and it could be a three to four year deal that would keep him in purple for the remainder of his career.