4 Vikings who are locks to make the Pro Bowl in 2023 and 4 who aren’t
By Randy Smith
Close Call: Adam Thielen – WR
While the Vikings may be able to send off a pass catcher to the Pro Bowl in Justin Jefferson, his teammate and fellow wideout Adam Thielen may not be quite the beneficiary.
Thielen, who made the Pro Bowl in 2017 and 2018, has seen success with Kirk Cousins at quarterback, just like Jefferson. Unlike Jefferson, Thielen has started to peak, and the mountaintop he was once on may have experienced a landslide.
After posting double-digit touchdown catches for both the 2021 and 2020 seasons, Thielen currently stands with 553 receiving yards and only three receiving touchdowns. A serviceable wide receiver for sure, but not a Pro Bowl-caliber one, at least for 2022.
Quite frankly, there are too many younger, hotter names that fans will vote in that would knock Thielen out, and the on-field product hasn’t helped either.
It seemed almost every season since Thielen has been a starter, fans associated his name with a pro bowl vote, even the years he didn’t earn one. Back then, those fans were maybe irate, but this year it’s more than understandable on Thielen missing the event.