The Minnesota Vikings confirmed late Friday afternoon that wide receiver Adam Thielen had signed a multi-year extension with the team. Per an Instagram post from Thielen’s agent, the deal is for four years, $64 million with up to $73 million in incentives.
The #Vikings and WR Adam Thielen agreed on a 4-year deal worth $64M with $73M maximum, per his agent Blake Baratz on Instagram. He gets $35M guaranteed. pic.twitter.com/WPaMYlmJ55
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 12, 2019
This is the latest chapter in the storybook career of Thielen, the 28-year-old Detroit Lakes native. After a breakout 967-yard season in 2016, Thielen signed a four-year, $19.2 million contract, which he followed up with two consecutive 1,000-plus-yard seasons that resulted in Pro Bowl bids. The Minnesota State-Mankato product has improved his yardage total each season, shattering the ceiling of a player that was barely recruited out of high school. This extension gives him the big-money contract only reserved for elite pass-catchers.
Not only is the money life-changing for Thielen, it is helpful for the Vikings’ 2019 salary cap. Though terms haven’t been made public, it’s likely the contract will offer Thielen cash in the form of a prorated signing bonus, thereby reducing the team’s cap for the present year. Minnesota had just over $2 million in cap remaining with which to sign their 2019 draft class this spring.
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