Vikings Cut Thielen, 49ers Land Seven Comp Picks, Dolphins Restructuring Hill’s Deal, and Other NFL Bullets
Happy Friday! All that separates us from NFL’s free agency period is the weekend. Still, teams have been working all week to prepare for the madness. The Minnesota Vikings have already released veteran linebacker Eric Kendricks. Now, veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen has been released.
- Thielen — who will turn 33 in August — will be looking for a new team next season. The veteran wide receiver had already come to terms with the fact that the Vikings would be moving on from him and his nearly $20 million cap hit this offseason.
- Adam Thielen caught 70 passes for 716 yards and six touchdowns last season. The Vikings will save $6.4 million against the cap with $13.6 million in dead money. Thielen signed with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2013. His breakout season came in 2016 when he posted a 69-catch, 967-yard season. Thielen is No. 4on the Vikings’ all-time list with 6,682 receiving yards, No. 3 with 534 receptions, and No. 3 with 55 touchdowns.
- The Vikings will also have a decision to make with pass rusher Za’Darius Smith. Smith requested a release from the team on Thursday. He event went as far as posting a goodbye tweet. However, the Vikings have not agreed to release Smith. So, the goodbye may be a little premature.
- The San Francisco 49ers received a whopping seven compensatory draft picks on Thursday afternoon. Four of the 49ers’ new picks come as a result of losing free agents. The other three are a result of the league’s initiative that awards picks to the prior employer-club of a minority employee who has been hired by another club as its head coach or primary football executive.
- Jets head coach Robert Saleh, Commanders General Manager Martin Mayhew, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans, and Titans General Manager Ran Carthon have left the Niners in the last three years. All three of the picks related to Saleh, Mayhew, and McDaniel are third rounders. The departures of Ryans and Carthon will factor into next year’s compensatory formula.
- Sticking with the 49ers, Friday is a big day for the organization. Quarterback Brock Purdy will undergo suregery today to repair a torn UCL. Purdy is expected to have the internal brace repair option administered. So, Purdy should be able to resume throwing within three months with that option. Had he went with the more intensive option, he would have been sidelined into the season.
- The Dolphins are restructuring Tyreek Hill’s contract, according to Adam Schefter. Hill’s $10 million roster bonus and $16 million salary is being converted into a $24.835 million bonus and a $1.165 million salary. The move creates $18 million against the salary cap.
- ESPN’s Diani Russini tweeted out a pair of reports this morning. First, the Saints have offered Jameis Winston a restructed contract to stick around. Winston has until Wednesday to make a decision.
- Second, The Eagles have allowed cornerback Darius Slay to seek a trade. According to Russini, the Eagles are hopeful that they can find a resolution that would keep Slay in Philadelphia.
- Odell Beckham Jr is working out for NFL teams in Arizona this afternoon. Beckham is finally healthy from the ACL inury that he suffered in the Super Bowl last season. Beckham is a free agent and could, in theory, sign with any team at any point.
- The Bengals did some roster maintenence on Thursday. Cincinnatti re-signed CB Jalen Davis to a two-year deal. They also re-signed LB Joe Bachie to a one-year deal. The Bachie and Davis are depth players for the Bengals.
- So, you may have seen the Joe Mixon stuff on Twitter this week. Late Monday night, coverage of a police presence at Joe Mixon’s house began to make its way around Twitter. Very few details were available. So, I chose to wait until things got sorted out before writing anything. If you read any of the mentions on Twitter, which were basically everyone assuming Mixon of shooting a kid with absolutely zero evidence of such. Turns out I was right to wait. Mixon did not shoot anyone, fire a gun, or have any involvement in the incident. Instead, his sister and another male are wanted by the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office.
- According to police reports, a group of teenagers were having a “dart war” with Nerf-style toy guns. One of the boys, a 16-year-old, ran alongside Mixon’s property. At which time 11 rounds were fired from Mixon’s back yard and the teen was struck by a bullet as he ran away. Once again, we have a great example of why we should cool our jets until actual information becomes available. Mixon was tried and convicted of shooting a kid on social media on Monday night, and he wasn’t even involved in the incident.
- Good. Very good!
- Patrick Kane scored his first goal for the New York Rangers on Thursday. Watch it here:
- The Bulls might stink. Actually, they definitely stink. But, it appears that Zach LaVine might be finding his old self lately.
