Adam Thielen 'Working Through Some Stuff' With Vikings on Contract for 2023

Minnesota Vikings veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen candidly spoke about his contract situation on Thursday, and he revealed an interesting tidbit.

Thielen told Pat McAfee, "We're working through some stuff because I have a big cap hit, and my contract fully guarantees on March 16 or something like that. So they're gonna try to do something, but we'll see."

Thielen's contract actually guarantees on March 17 and he carries a $19.97 million cap hit for the 2023 season, per Spotrac. If the Vikings chose to cut him, the team would have $13.55 million in dead cap space.

Prior to this past season, Thielen had restructured his contract to help the Vikings get some cap relief. It would be a surprise if the 32-year-old is willing to take a pay cut for the second year in a row.

Thielen played in all 17 games for the Vikings in 2022 and ranked second on the team with 70 receptions, 716 yards and six touchdowns. The nine-year veteran has not recorded a 1,000-yard season since 2018, but he's a reliable No. 2 option opposite Vikings star receiver Justin Jefferson, who is a finalist for AP NFL MVP.

The Vikings are coming off a 13-4 campaign, but the team disappointingly lost to the New York Giants in the NFC wild card round. There's a chance Minnesota could be looking to make some changes this offseason in hopes of avoiding another disastrous finish.

If the Vikings choose to move on from Thielen, 25-year-old KJ Osborn is waiting in the wings to be elevated to the No. 2 spot. After being deployed mainly as a returner in his rookie season in 2020, Osborn has recorded over 600 receiving yards in each of the last two years and has 12 career touchdowns.