Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen’s place in the NFL looks a lot different this May than it did a year ago.
Thielen established himself as a regular on the special teams in Minnesota in 2014 and 2015, but he didn’t play much on offense and had 20 catches on his record heading into the 2016 season. Thielen got a chance to do more in his third season and made the most of it by catching 69 passes for 967 yards and five touchdowns.
The undrafted player from Minnesota State parleyed that into a three-year extension that can be worth as much as $27 million, but he’s not spending his time thinking about the change in circumstances.
“I’m waiting until I’m done playing to reflect,” Thielen said, via the Pioneer Press. “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.”
Thielen’s breakout year has him ahead of 2016 first-round pick Laquon Treadwell on the depth chart at wideout for the Vikings. The team has been talking up Treadwell, but Thielen showed he was a reliable target last season and that will make it harder for Treadwell to race past him as they set up the receiving corps this offseason.