Adam Thielen stood in front of reporters on his first day back with the Minnesota Vikings. The Minnesota native was excited to be back with his childhood team, and those in attendance were excited to hear his first comments since returning home. Fans were excited to dig their old jerseys out of storage, and it was just an exciting time for anyone associated with the Vikings.
However, Thielen and the Vikings will have some work to do when the excitement wears off. Thielen is in a position that he was rarely in during his previous tenure in Minnesota. For the first time since 2018, the Vikings are projected to be Super Bowl contenders, and they brought in the former Minnesota State-Mankato standout to be part of the puzzle.
After giving up the equivalent of a fourth-round pick to the Carolina Panthers to bring Thielen back to Minnesota, some feel the Vikings overpaid for a 35-year-old wide receiver. However, there is a very good reason why Thielen is wearing purple again, and it has everything to do with the team’s expectations for the 2025 season.
The Vikings begin the season with five winnable games. A season opener against the Chicago Bears is daunting, but Ben Johnson’s team may still be working out the kinks when Minnesota heads to Soldier Field. The Atlanta Falcons will have Michael Penix Jr. starting in his first full season, and the Cincinnati Bengals have Joe Burrow and a defense that can’t hold water in a Dixie cup.
Even the two-week trip to Europe seems winnable for the Vikings. The Pittsburgh Steelers are hoping that a 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers can will them to their annual threshold of eight or nine wins, and the Cleveland Browns are starting a 40-year-old Joe Flacco for a team that has plenty of holes outside of receiver Jerry Jeudy and edge rusher Myles Garrett.
The Vikings should start at least 4-1 in these games. But strange things can happen in the NFL, and it could lead Minnesota to a grim alternate reality.
The start of the 2023 season is a prime example. Coming off a 13-win campaign in O’Connell’s first season as head coach, the Vikings stumbled out of the gate with a 1-4 record. While they answered with a five-game winning streak, it was emotionally draining for the three experienced quarterbacks (Kirk Cousins, Joshua Dobbs, Nick Mullens), let alone for J.J. McCarthy in his first year as a starter.
The Vikings have plenty of confidence in McCarthy, bolstered by the fact that he was named a team captain on Thursday. But his confidence could dwindle if the Vikings don’t take advantage of this soft stretch of the schedule.
Let’s say the Vikings were stubborn and decided to use Jalen Nailor and Tai Felton as WR2 and WR3 until Addison returns. If either receiver’s hand injury got worse, it could give McCarthy one fewer weapon. That tunnel vision could lead to a bad throw or decision that could cost them a game.
If the Vikings went 1-2 in the first three weeks, it would put pressure on everyone before Addison returns in Europe. If McCarthy continues to press, it could lead to a situation where the Vikings enter one of the most challenging parts of the schedule with a 2-3 record.
That would be a problem for McCarthy and the Vikings. After hosting the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles following their bye, the Vikings must travel to face a physical Los Angeles Chargers team on a short week. They will be facing Jim Harbaugh, who knows McCarthy after winning a National Championship together at Michigan, and could put Minnesota in a deeper hole.
The road doesn’t get easier from there. Minnesota faces the Detroit Lions on the road in a crucial NFC North matchup, and then comes home to square off with Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens. Even if the Vikings meet their expectations, it’s not unrealistic to think they could wind up splitting these four games. That would be a disaster scenario if they got off to a slow start.
Compare this to how the Vikings started 2024. The beginning of their schedule appeared tough, but they were able to string together five straight wins. They beat the New York Giants in the game they were supposed to win in Week 1 and backed it up with wins over the San Francisco 49ers, Houston Texans, Green Bay Packers, and New York Jets.
That 5-0 start did wonders for Sam Darnold’s confidence. Even when they dropped two consecutive games out of the bye, they had the cushion to absorb it and rattle off nine-straight wins before losing the final two games of the season.
Getting back to McCarthy. A similar situation could play out with Thielen back in town. McCarthy has worked with Thielen the past two offseasons. Thielen knows O’Connell’s offense. While there were other options, Thielen could step in and theoretically contribute immediately, which would help the Vikings take advantage of their early window and build McCarthy’s confidence.
McCarthy would enter the Eagles game full of confidence if the Vikings went into it with a 4-1 or 5-0 record. If they were 3-2 or worse, it would be a must-win game with more daunting matchups ahead of him.
Perhaps it’s too simplistic to think the schedule prompted Minnesota’s urgency to trade for Thielen. But they didn’t just do it for the nostalgia. It’s a calculated move that could hopefully help the Vikings charge out of the gate and create some confidence and excitement for their young quarterback.