With Stefon Diggs gone, the Minnesota Vikings wide receiver room is a lot younger, but Adam Thielen admits he is excited about that because he can take on a mentorship role this season. Thielen at one time was getting mentored in the wide receiver room, something he is excited to do for the younger guys.
Thielen knows that players like Justin Jefferson need to step up early for the Vikings because they are going to be counted on, but it's just as important to be consistent throughout the season so they can be impact players if Minnesota makes the playoffs:
“For me, it just kind of provides a little bit of excitement to try to teach and help and grow some of these young guys to make some big plays. At the end of the day, in this day and age in the NFL, rookies have to make plays and they have to be a big part come January and February. So I'm excited to help with that.”
“The biggest thing is just allowing them to trust me as a person and as a player to be a resource for them,” Thielen said via Courtney Cronin of ESPN. “First of all, it is good to create a relationship virtually right now to the point where they feel comfortable asking questions or calling me or coming to train with me. Things like that. That's really my job.
As part of the leadership, Thielen knows he needs to be available for Vikings players at any time:
“I'm just trying to be that resource for those guys and to know that, hey, when I'm teaching these guys and when I'm talking to them, I'm really talking to myself, because there are a lot of things that I need to get better at.”
Thielen is 30 years old, the oldest wide receiver on the team by five years. The second oldest guy in the room is Tajae Sharpe, who is only 25 years old.
The Vikings kick off the season with a Week 1 matchup against the Green Bay Packers.
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