Viktor
Well-known member
- Mar 19, 2019
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EAGAN, Minn. — The kid from Detroit Lakes isn’t going anywhere, and he couldn’t be happier.
A day after officially signing a multi-year contract extension, Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen met with the Twin Cities media Tuesday to discuss his new deal.
“Obviously, money is good and everything, but championships are what it’s about,” Thielen said. “Maybe a little bit, too, of feeling appreciated more than the fact that they paid me this amount of money.
“But like I said, it’s all about winning, it’s all about giving back, and it’s all about being in a situation that you feel comfortable in. When you find a locker room like we have and you have guys like that, you don’t want to go somewhere else,” Thielen added. “You want to be here, and you want to be here for a long time. That’s what my family and I are most excited about.”
The Vikings chose to reward Thielen after the Minnesota native made the Pro Bowl in each of the past two seasons and was an All-Pro selection in 2017.
Thielen set career marks with 113 catches for 1,373 yards and nine touchdowns in 2018, a year in which he set an NFL record by recording at least 100 receiving yards in eight games to open the season.
The 28-year-old has 273 receptions for 3,616 yards and 18 touchdowns over the past three seasons, which averages out to 90-plus catches for 1,200-plus yards and six scores a season.
Thielen’s story is well-known, as he went from college walk-on to a standout at Minnesota State University, Mankato. He then joined the Vikings via a tryout as an undrafted rookie, making the practice squad before going from special teams ace to now being one of the league’s top wide receivers.
“I don’t know if there has ever been a success story like Adam Thielen,” said Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman. “We were just talking coming down, three weeks from now [six years ago] he was looking to try to get in to someone’s camp. I know he came in on a tryout basis, we were very fortunate that he picked us over probably a couple of the other camps that he had an opportunity to go to.