Adam Thielen's Vikings Return Has Direct Consequences for 2022 Pick

After days of speculation, the Minnesota Vikings have finally reunited with Adam Thielen. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Vikings have acquired Thielen, a 2026 seventh-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick from the Carolina Panthers in exchange for a 2026 fifth-round pick and a 2027 fourth-round pick to bring the Minnesota native home on Tuesday morning.

Vikings fans will undoubtedly be eager to dig their Thielen jerseys out of storage after he spent nine years with the team before his release after the 2022 season. It’s also the latest surprising deal in a week that saw Harrison Phillips get traded to the New York Jets and Mekhi Blackmon traded to the Indianapolis Colts.  But while nostalgia will run over the state in this deal, it also has consequences for some on the team.

Thielen’s arrival fills a big need with Jordan Addison suspended for the first three games of the season and nobody really stepping up in training camp. It also could come as a consequence for a receiver that arrived in Eagan with everything to gain and now may have lost it all.

Vikings WR Jalen Nailor Lost it All After Adam Thielen Trade

Jalen Nailor was entering a pivotal year in his career when he arrived at training camp this month. The 2022 sixth-round draft pick out of Michigan State is entering the final year of his contract and showed up to camp bigger and stronger knowing there was an opening at the No. 2 receiver spot for the first three games due to Addison’s suspension.

If Nailor performed well in camp, he’d have the chance to line up across from Justin Jefferson in the opening month of the season. Having one of the best receivers in the NFL to draw attention away from you is a good way to break out and if Nailor had three solid games, a receiver-needy team could have pulled up to Nailor’s doorstep with a bigger than expected contract when he hits free agency next spring.

But while Nailor looked like a different player, the same issues remained. Nailor has a lot of the tools you want from a receiver including a 4.50-second time in the 40-yard dash when he entered the league and a 5-foot-11, 190-pound frame that may be light considering his aggressive offseason plan. But his biggest issue is catching the football. According to Pro Football Focus, Nailor has an 11.1% drop rate in his career including a 12.5% drop rate last season.

While catching the ball has been a problem, so has staying on the field. After suffering a concussion during the 2022 preseason, a hamstring injury a few weeks later derailed his rookie year. He was also limited to six games in 2023 due to a variety of ailments and finally played in all 17 games last season. Although he caught six touchdowns, the rest of his production was modest with 28 catches for 414 yards and four drops on 42 targets.

Training camp was littered with more drops for Nailor and a hand injury has left him with a “day-to-day” designation. While the Vikings could have trotted Nailor out for the season opener against the Chicago Bears, they felt more comfortable going with a 35-year-old receiver who hasn’t played in Kevin O’Connell’s offense in two years.

Thielen’s return has even further ramifications when Addison returns. While Nailor could have had a solid three-game stretch and modest production as the WR3 for the rest of the season, he now faces serving as a fourth-string receiver with little to no momentum heading onto the market.

This means Nailor lost playing time and potentially millions of dollars with the news on Wednesday morning, making him the biggest loser in Thielen’s return.