MINNEAPOLIS _ After posting numbers that made him one of the NFL's most productive wide receivers the past two seasons, Adam Thielen is about to become one of the league's richest.
The wide receiver has agreed with the Vikings on a four-year contract extension worth at least $64 million, his agency announced on Friday. Thielen's new deal, which could be worth up to $73 million, keeps the wide receiver under contract through the 2024 season while resolving questions about his immediate future before the Vikings begin offseason workouts on Monday.
The Vikings signed Thielen to a four-year extension in March 2017, after he caught 69 passes for 967 yards while heading into restricted free agency. Thielen quickly outplayed the four-year deal, however, boosting its value by $4.1 million in its first two years by triggering incentives and base salary escalators after a pair of Pro Bowl seasons. He finished fourth in the NFL with 113 catches last season, posting 1,373 yards and tying Charlie Hennigan's NFL record by starting the season with eight consecutive 100-yard games.
Thielen's unlikely rise to stardom _ by way of a $500 scholarship to Minnesota State and a rookie camp tryout with the Vikings _ has become a well-worn tale by now, making him perhaps the state's most popular athlete in the process.
Though Thielen's existing deal _ which made him the NFL's 30th-highest paid receiver, in terms of average annual value _ ran through the 2020 season, it had become obvious the receiver was due for a raise. The Vikings took care of the 28-year-old, with a deal that was also expected to lower Thielen's salary cap figure (which had been $8.1 million) for the 2019 season and provide the team some much-needed breathing room.
Minnesota had roughly $2 million in cap space on Friday, meaning the team likely didn't have enough cap room to sign its upcoming draft class. Though the Vikings might have to pursue additional moves to clear cap space before they sign draft picks, Thielen's deal should help them create some of the room they need.
