Adam Thielen is a Much Younger 28 Than Most of His Peers
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Well, well, well. The time has come for Adam Thielen to get rewarded for what he’s been able to do on a football field. The Vikings locked up the other half of their fantastic WR duo by giving Thielen a 4-year extension worth as much as $73 million dollars with $35 million of it guaranteed.
As 2018 went on, there was so much talk about Kirk Cousins and his contract; how it was going to force the Vikings to make some difficult decisions, as far as its core players were concerned. Fast forward to today. Anthony Barr and Adam Thielen have been locked up for years to come, and the only player from the defense to leave was Sheldon Richardson. Let’s be honest, he was just a rental player anyway. Needless to say, the Vikings’ front office needed some magic and, lucky for them, they employ a Magician.
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Eric Kendricks ✔️
Danielle Hunter ✔️
Stefon Diggs ✔️
Anthony Barr ✔️And they said it couldn't be done. pic.twitter.com/pb1wuPLkbm
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) March 15, 2019
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As the news broke today, there were some naysayers who spoke on Thielen’s age and questioned his durability moving forward. There will always be questions when players get rewarded for what they’ve done, opposed to what they have yet to accomplish. Sure, Thielen’s 28 years old, but 2019 will only be his 6th season in the NFL, and just his 4th as the dominant pass catcher he’s become.
As we look at Thielen’s numbers through his first 6 seasons, it’s clear the typical grind you’d see from a 28-year-old WR hasn’t been the career of Adam Thielen. That makes the deal that much more of a steal. Plenty of life left in those tapping toes.
See for yourself:
- 2014 – 16 Games (2 Starts): 13 Targets/8 Receptions 1 TD
- 2015 – 16 Games (2 Starts): 18 Targets/12 Catches 0 TD
- 2016 – 16 Games (10 Starts): 92 Targets/69 Catches 5 TDs
- 2017 – 16 Games (16 Starts): 142 Targets/91 Receptions 4 TDs
- 2018 – 16 Games/16 Starts: 153 Targets/113 Receptions 9 TDs
Adam didn’t become a mainstay until 2016, and even then had just 10 starts. That’s some impressive production, as usual. At 28, Thielen has only started 46 games. For career “wear & tear” comparison, let’s look at how many games some other top WR have played at 28.
Julio Jones – 94 Starts
Larry Fitzgerald – 124 Starts
Desean Jackson – 99 Starts
Alshon Jeffery – 85 Starts
Seems to be one of those situations when time is, in-fact, on our side.
Brian Heintz | Minnesota Sports Fan
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