vike daddy Posted January 22, 2023 Share Posted January 22, 2023 who presently on the roster might we move on from? (no need to discuss we should have drafted Kyle Hamilton...) Thielen was targeted 107 times this season, which is on par with his average targets (106) over the past seven seasons. That said, he was targeted three or fewer times in six of the final seven regular season games and Kirk Cousins threw to him just four times in the playoff loss to New York. Despite adequate targets, his yardage dipped a lot this season. Averaging just 42.1 yards per game, it was his lowest output since he was still a special teams ace in 2015. And the yardage dip happened even though he was on the field for 756 passing plays, which ranked second in the NFL behind his teammate, Justin Jefferson. What's more is that the Cousins-to-Thielen connection netted its lowest passer rating since Cousins arrived in Minnesota in 2018, and Thielens' contested catch rate – an area of his game that has historically been remarkably good – plummeted from 66% in 2021 to 21% in 2022. https://www.si.com/fannation/bringmethesports/vikings/caitlin-thielen-says-husband-adam-wants-to-feel-valued-as-a-receiver?fbclid=IwAR0RoL8eDcHobLGvlS7RWFb9YJdV4QosGCvbc56qXXEIANxtUkr9TeEK094 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrplChilPill Posted January 22, 2023 Share Posted January 22, 2023 Unless he takes a massive pay cut, I can't see thielen on the roster. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SemperFeist Posted January 22, 2023 Share Posted January 22, 2023 Offensively I think there is a very strong chance that Cook and Ham are gone. It just doesn’t seem efficient to have a bell cow running back in an offense that passes 65% of the time. And with Ham only seeing 15% of the offensive snaps, it doesn’t appear that the fullback position is in O’Connell’s long term vision. Thielen is going to have to take a significant pay cut, where ever he goes. Minnesota is still likely his best option for getting paid the most, and having the largest role. The question is whether or not his ego can handle taking that pay cut from his current team. Defensively, there’s going to be players who don’t return, but until we know who the defensive coordinator is, and get a small idea of how the defense will operate, it’s tough to try and guess which players are let go, and which players may have deals reworked. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vike daddy Posted January 22, 2023 Author Share Posted January 22, 2023 3 minutes ago, SemperFeist said: The question is whether or not his [Thielen] ego can handle taking that pay cut from his current team. i'm not sure it's the ego of taking a paycut, as much as wanting to be involved in the offense more. but i agree with you, what other team is going to involve him more than 4-6 passes a game? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteelKing728 Posted January 22, 2023 Share Posted January 22, 2023 Cook Thielen Kendricks Hicks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SemperFeist Posted January 22, 2023 Share Posted January 22, 2023 31 minutes ago, vike daddy said: i'm not sure it's the ego of taking a paycut, as much as wanting to be involved in the offense more. but i agree with you, what other team is going to involve him more than 4-6 passes a game? He’s not going to find an offense that uses him more. Quite frankly, Thielen needs to embrace the Larry Fitzgerald role. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vike daddy Posted January 22, 2023 Author Share Posted January 22, 2023 28 minutes ago, SemperFeist said: He’s not going to find an offense that uses him more. Quite frankly, Thielen needs to embrace the Larry Fitzgerald role. do you think he could end up in coaching? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SemperFeist Posted January 22, 2023 Share Posted January 22, 2023 14 minutes ago, vike daddy said: do you think he could end up in coaching? Maybe his kids. Thielen has never struck me as the type. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vike daddy Posted January 22, 2023 Author Share Posted January 22, 2023 The Minnesota Vikings are approaching a defensive overhaul this offseason that could result in cutting several veterans. Outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith is all-too-familiar with becoming a cap casualty after the Green Bay Packers sent him off after re-signing Aaron Rodgers to a megadeal last offseason. Smith took a common approach by many professional athletes approaching uncomfortable conversations with their franchises, scrubbing his Instagram account of all photos amid the potential veteran exodus. https://heavy.com/sports/minnesota-vikings/zadarius-smith-nfl-news-rumors-instagram/?fbclid=IwAR0pplUrFzUZQVClD68B0p5YveWg8i5xy3Ke9UzjcjHHYJyFZIY260E6hHQ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SemperFeist Posted January 22, 2023 Share Posted January 22, 2023 If the team hires a DC from the Fangio tree, like Sean Desai, I see Za’Darius Smith coming back. But if they go with Flores, I have no idea how well Smith fits into that defense. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CriminalMind Posted January 22, 2023 Share Posted January 22, 2023 Thielen, Cook, Kendricks, Hicks, Ham Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wcblack34 Posted January 22, 2023 Share Posted January 22, 2023 14 hours ago, vike daddy said: The Minnesota Vikings are approaching a defensive overhaul this offseason that could result in cutting several veterans. Outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith is all-too-familiar with becoming a cap casualty after the Green Bay Packers sent him off after re-signing Aaron Rodgers to a megadeal last offseason. Smith took a common approach by many professional athletes approaching uncomfortable conversations with their franchises, scrubbing his Instagram account of all photos amid the potential veteran exodus. https://heavy.com/sports/minnesota-vikings/zadarius-smith-nfl-news-rumors-instagram/?fbclid=IwAR0pplUrFzUZQVClD68B0p5YveWg8i5xy3Ke9UzjcjHHYJyFZIY260E6hHQ The "unfollow on social media" bit is lame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Relax Posted January 22, 2023 Share Posted January 22, 2023 15 hours ago, SemperFeist said: Maybe his kids. Thielen has never struck me as the type. Thielen strikes me as very much the type who would be an excellent coach. He has the work ethic, he has the knowledge of several different offenses now, and he is jsut the right combination of fiery and "soft" to be able to communicate to today's players. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SemperFeist Posted January 22, 2023 Share Posted January 22, 2023 Thielen certainly has the tools to be a good coach. But from following him on social media, I’ve never gotten the impression that he has the interest in doing it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swede700 Posted January 22, 2023 Share Posted January 22, 2023 I've never got the impression that Thielen is coaching material, in either desire or skills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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