In the midst of a breakout campaign that made him a Vikings starter, Adam Thielen presumed he’d spend time in the offseason reflecting on the wild ride from small-town star at Minnesota State to the Vikings’ leading receiver.
But even with a new three-year, $27 million contract signed in the offseason, Thielen said the moment for reflection still hasn’t come. Now, he’s dedicated to proving last season wasn’t a fluke.
“I’m waiting until I’m done playing to reflect,” Thielen said at the Vikings’ organized team activities last week. “I’ve got too much to work on, too many big goals, to reflect on anything. I’m just going to come out here everyday and try to get better and bring the same mindset I’ve brought since I got to the league.”
The Vikings rewarded Thielen in March with a new contract, but the 26-year-old said there has been “no celebration” yet, even if the deal was a multi-million dollar raise from the $600,000 he made last season.
“I’ve got a long ways to go,” he said.
As the Vikings prep for mini-camp in June and training camp in July, Thielen and Stefon Diggs represent their best chance at snapping the franchise’s seven-year streak without a player recording 1,000 receiving yards, the longest active such streak in the NFL.
Sidney Rice was the last Vikings receiver to do it with 1,312 yards in 2009.
But with Sam Bradford under center, Thielen quickly became a go-to receiver for the Vikings, totaling 967 yards on 69 catches for five touchdowns, just ahead of Diggs’ 903 receiving yards.
“We were able to develop that trust last year, but now it’s a new year, so I’ve got to develop that again this year,” Thielen said. “Us receivers, we have to develop that with all the quarterbacks, and it’s not an easy thing to do. If you’re not on the same page, bad things can happen really quick. But that’s why we’re out here. That’s what OTAs are for – to build that trust and that chemistry and get fluid for the season.”
In his first two NFL seasons, Thielen had never amassed more than 144 passing yards.
“I think there were times last season where maybe I wasn’t running the best routes, but I was getting away with it,” Thielen. “Guys know me now, and they’ve seen me on film. They’re going to know my tendencies, so I’ve got to make sure I bring my best game.”
Meanwhile, receiver Laquon Treadwell arrived at OTAs eager to put last season behind him. So far, he has drawn rave reviews.
“He’s had a great, in my opinion, five-and-a-half weeks,” offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur said.
Treadwell faces being labeled a draft-day bust if drastic improvement doesn’t come this season. After the Vikings selected him No. 23 overall a year ago, he played in only nine games and made just one catch for 15 yards.
But at OTAs last week, Treadwell played with the first-team offense and caught several passes from Bradford, which caught the attention of coaches.
“He came back and he was really on point with what he’s supposed to be doing mentally,” Shurmur said. “He’s been out here competing and doing a nice job running routes and catching the ball (and) understanding where he fits in the running game and who to block. To this point, we’ve been really pleased with his progress based on a year ago.”
