Decisions are made each year following rookie minicamp, and Thielen gave coaches no choice but to do just that: keep him around.
Thielen made Minnesota’s 2013 practice squad; from there, he just kept making his case.
The Vikings that season brought in veteran quarterback Matt Cassel to mentor and work behind Christian Ponder. Most of the first-team reps went to Ponder in practices, of course, and Cassel spent ample time throwing with mostly the practice squad. It didn’t take long for the 31-year-old QB to take notice of a previously unknown wideout.
“He made an immediate impression on me,” Cassel recalled. “His work ethic, his ability to pick up the offense and his eagerness to learn because, you know, this was his opportunity.
“You have to give the scout team looks for the defensive side, so Adam was with me, and we’re running a lot of the reps and I’d be like, ‘Man, this kid gets open constantly,’ ” Cassel said. “I mean, he had great precision on his route running. He’d come in and out of breaks … and he’s not going up against slouches, either; he’s going up against starters. And so slowly but surely, you start to look for him, because … ‘Well, hell, I know Adam’s going to go out there and beat his guy.’
“From that point on, I was telling coaches, ‘This kid’s got something,’ ” Cassel added.